My Story
by Quagomay
Summary: My husband has cheated on me with more than ten women. My husband has fallen in love with one of them. My husband has left me for said woman. My husband has shamed me in the media. My husband is handsome, charming, and successful. My husband is the infamous Sasuke Uchiha. My husband is a fool because he tried to play a Hyuuga who knew how to play his game. Welcome to My Story.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Naruto characters; those belong solely to the brilliant Masashi Kishimoto. I also do not own any character that may appear and/or mentioned in this fiction (Inuyasha, Ouran High School Host Club).**

**Rated: M**

**Summary:**

_My husband has cheated on me with more than ten women. My husband has fallen in love with one of them. My husband has left me for said woman. My husband has shamed me in the media. My husband is handsome, charming, and successful. My husband is the infamous Sasuke Uchiha. My husband is a fool because he tried to play a Hyuuga who knew how to play his game. Welcome to My Story_.

**Enjoy. ^_^**

* * *

**_Prologue : Voice_**

"Y-You're lying, S-Sasuke.."

Her voice rung out in the quiet room. She was tired, not only from the affairs, the phone calls, the various _lipsticks_ she found on him and on his clothing, but from all the heartaches and lies that he told her.

A sigh was heard from the other side of the room, momentously heightening the tense atmosphere in the room. She turned from the ten story glass window of the Uchiha corp. building and saw him, once again, looking at his phone. He casually placed the phone down and looked up at her from his desk, a blank stare in those obsidian eyes.

"What makes you think I'm lying, Hinata?", he uttered softly, his voice laced with an unknown mock that it made her stomach churn.

She couldn't stand that voice; so full of arrogance and superiority that it made her reconsider all that she had seen and heard about his infidelity.

_No._ She turned away from him once again and stared out the window. From her view you could spot her family's corporation, Hyuuga Corporation. Is this what these men were out for, power? She was tired of it, so _so_ tired of that word.

" S-Shikamaru-san came by t-this morning and asked for the c-conformation of Haruno's p-position as the model o-of Uchiha. Y-You told me that y-you would stop s-seeing her..." ,She said softly. A few tears fell from her orbs as she continued to stare at one window in particular. The window belonged to her cousin, Neji.

"Sakura works here now, Hinata. My job and my marriage life are different here; we draw the line between business and pleasure..." His voice lingered in the air as the sound of his key board started to click.

She looked down at her feet and looked up at the window once again. Neji-nii and Kin, eh? Tenten would be devastated if she saw that her husband was cheating on her with another woman. On the desk that she had picked out for them. And that the picture of Neji, Tenten, and their son, Tenji, was broken on the floor next to Kin's $900 shoes that Neji bought her.

Hinata looked away once she saw Neji unbuttoning his mistress's shirt.

She didn't want her last memory of her cousin be a bad one if she died today.

She then looked back at her husband, Sasuke, who was blankly ignoring her very presence. How could someone so cruel be so blessed? He had it all; looks, fame, money, a family that supported and loved him, and a devoted wife. How could he just look over her, leave her feeling guilty and depressed from all that he has done?

She decided then that she couldn't take it anymore. She was done and, of course, tired. With one swift move, she grabbed her purse off the sofa and straightened out her skirt before attempting to walk out the room. Attempting.

His deep smooth voice uttered the words that melted her icy heart.

"I love you, Hinata. No one would ever take your place in my heart."

She turned around and saw those smoldering dark eyes staring straight at her, expecting her to say the words that she had said for the past two years of their marriage.

"I-I love you t-too, Sasuke." She stepped out of the room and left down the hallway. That's when the woman of her husband's dreams came from around the corner. Sakura Haruno.

Her long, strawberry pink hair seemed to glisten from the building's giant windows and her tall and slender body showed through her business suit, a deep maroon. Her emerald eyes caught Hinata's. That's when the world exploded before her eyes.

"Sakura, I'm glad you could come to work so early." Sasuke's voice called out to Sakura.

"I'm glad to see you're so excited to see me." A light laugh was shared between the two before they both entered his office. Hinata stood, glancing at the door behind her before walking towards the elevator.

_What do I do now? I'm slowly losing my husband. Mother, what did you do when Father cheated on you? Did you stay or did you try to leave? _The elevator doors closed as well as Hinata's eyes as she sobbed for her mother's gentle voice. And her own as well...


	2. Chapter 1: War is Declared

**C****_hapter One: War is Declared_**

**"****You know it's never fifty-fifty in a marriage. It's always seventy-thirty, or sixty-forty. Someone falls in love first. Someone puts someone else up on a pedestal. Someone works very hard to keep things rolling smoothly; someone else sails along for the ride."  
**― Jodi Picoult, _Mercy_

"Mrs. Uchiha! Tell us, how is your marriage to Sasuke?!"

"Are you expecting soon?!"

"Is it true that you're thinking of starting a music career?!"

The paparazzi barraged the meek girl as she walked out of the Uchiha Corps. Building, holding her coat over her head as her two bodyguards ushered the crowd of people away from the bluette and the limo out front. Her nerves were wrecked at the moment; how could a person deal with this every day? Always being the person of observation?

Hinata couldn't remember the last time she wasn't chased after by fans and cameras since she married Sasuke. She used to be carefree before she married the bastard. Her life was dull; no one had even knew who she was until she met Sasuke despite her being the Hyuuga Heiress. Now, her life was a jumbled mess filled with cameramen and uncomfortable questions.

Her assistant, Konan, addressed the News' stations and the paparazzi with swift response.

**"**Unfortunately, Hinata is busy and has no time for record labels and such, but that's not to say that she won't be interested in it in the future. As for her marriage, everything is peachy.", her assistant's monotonous voice reached the crowd, who listened with careful hearing.

Konan turned toward the crowd with a small smirk on her flawless face. **"**Children will have to wait right now."

The fans ate up every word that Konan said and started snapping more pictures while at the small time screaming in excitement of the handsome Sasuke and shy Hinata doing very 'naughty' things.

Hinata, already in the limo, waited for Konan to return. She exhaled a little and watched the woman enter the limo and gave Hinata a blank stare. _That's why I hired her. She gets the job done._

The driver pulled off once everyone was in the limo. Konan scribbled something down before looking back up at Hinata with placid eyes.

"Hyuuga advisors are setting up a meeting next week for the new group of interns coming in. Tenten called, said that she wanted you to come by. Hanabi sent her regards of pleading geminates for you to come and visit." Konan looked once again through the list before closing it. "Hiashi wants you to stop by later on today. Says that it is urgent."

Hinata sighed heavily and looked out the window once Konan caught her eyes; she knew what was going to be said. It had been said several times before anyway, only in different versions.

"Isn't it funny how he says he's going to change, yet the only thing he changes is his mistresses? And now he's with Sakura Haruno, a model. Wow, what an upgrade from all of the women in the building, neh?" Her words stung, but they were true. Nothing had changed at all. Hinata took the words, not saying anything to the mutinous women in front of her.

"H-He's says that he l-loves me and-"

**"**You're a pathetic twit for standing for the crap that bitch puts you through." Hinata flinched at the bad language Konan used. It made the gesticulation sound horrific and agonizingly true.

**"**I-I know. But w-what can I do about it? He's my h-husband. ."

Hazel eyes turned towards the window of the vehicle as Konan looked at the billboard they were passing. The Main Gang was on there; Sasuke, Naruto, Neji, and Shikamaru. Their smirks were devious, highlighting the billboard all over Japan. _Those bastards. _Both Hinata and Konan knew they couldn't win. Even if they were the heroines of the story. They had always won, no matter how wrong they were.

Konan stayed silent as the bluette rolled down the window separating the back from the driver's domain.

"T-To Neji-nii-san's, please."

* * *

Sakura Haruno was known all over. She was the beautiful pinkette that most thought of as stunning, sweet, and very, very smart. She had attended the most prestigious high school in Japan, Sarutobi Private, modeled in catalogues, acted in movies, and also was Miss Japan two times in a row for her beauty. Because of all of this, she knew that she and Sasuke were meant to be together; she felt that she was the female version of him, beautiful and charismatic. Hinata however...

Sakura rolled her eyes and sat in front of the Uchiha, who ignored her very presence as she glared at him. She smirked a little when he raised his head from his work, his eyes gluing to the amount of neck that she had out in her outfit..

**"**Why did you call me in so early, _Uchiha-san_?", Sakura called out with a small grin on her face.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her for a moment, and swiftly grabbed his pen on the desk and signed off a document in front of him.**"**Do I have to have a reason? I had heard that you had wanted to see me."

Sakura folded her legs at his comment, giving him the sign that he had said the wrong answer. The Uchiha sighed before grabbing his phone and checking through some of his emails; his job couldn't be stopped by anyone right now. Not when he was so close...

Sakura snarled.

Sasuke gave a small smirk and leaned back in his chair."I really don't have time for your mind games today, Sakura. I am buried right now." The pink beauty jumped from her seat and slammed her hands on the desk, finally fed up with his nonchalant behavior.

**"**Well I don't have time on my side either, Mr. Uchiha. So you better set done your pretty little Iphone before it ends up jumping out the window." Her vemon-y words brought a smirk to the Uchiha's face.

She clenched his attention and for the most part he liked a challenge..

**"**Feisty today, aren't we?", the Uchiha questioned as he grabbed her hands and rubbed his thumb across them. A blush quickly crossed her cheeks before she tried to snatch her small hands away.

**"**Let me cut to the chase then. Why are you still with her?"

Sasuke let go of her, not liking the flow of the conversation.

He knew he wouldn't make it out of the room without her yelling, so he decided to play dumb.

**"**With who?" He sounded so persuasive and innocent that Sakura questioned if he really didn't know.

**"**Sasuke, you know what I-!" Sasuke's phone started to ring. He sighed in relief inside._ Perfect timing._

Sakura was fuming and watched as her lover answered the phone.

**"**What, Sure thing." Sasuke hung up the phone before he quickly went over to the sofa to get his coat. He looked out the window to see Neji also exiting his office. Sasuke smirked._ The plan is in action._

He turned to Sakura. "You wanted me to leave my _wife_, right?" Sakura flinched at the word 'wife'. It made her sound dirty. " I have something even better than divorce papers to give you." Sakura raised an eyebrow in question, but nevertheless let the handsome Uchiha drag her out of the building into the paparazzi's blazing front.

* * *

**"**Oh Hina, you should have seen Tenji's face when I told him that Santa Claus wasn't real! Neji had gotten so upset when he found out. I had felt so guilty about it!" Tenten laughed as she organized her boy's backpack; his first day at summer camp was tomorrow. Hinata lounged on the couch and watched the overly-joyed mother. If only she knew..

**"**Y-You should, Ten-chan! You're n-not supposed to tell him that u-until he's ….ten?", Hinata asked in uncertainty, which made Tenten laughed a little.

"Neji suggested that we tell him when he was thirteen, but what kind of mother would I be if I lied to him about a fat man sneaking into the house. One day a fat man might just break into the house and Tenji might just think it was Santa Claus."

Hinata smiled at the woman.

"I-I'd be more worried about what he would do to the Santa Claus man. Tenji's t-too rough!"

The bluete shrugged as she grabbed the remote to the wide flat-screen television above the fireplace. She popped on the TV and scrolled down the guide list, only for it to be snatched my Tenji. Hinata pouted and snatched back the remote, resulting in boy climbing on top of her and pulling her hair.

Tenten just watched in amusement as Hinata struggled with the six year old. He definitely got that from her. The remote was then pulled from both Tenji and Hinata as Tenten turned it to the Japan's local news station.

Hinata frowned at the bun-headed woman and groaned.**"**I wanted to watch m-my soap opera! Now I'm going to m-miss it because of this c-chimp monk!"

Tenji laughed evilly and ran out of the room manically. It felt weird to see a little version of Neji doing bad things around the house.

The bun-headed lady rolled her eyes at the pouting woman and dramatically started to swing the remote around, not caring about the glass figurines on the shelf.

**"**Don't worry about it. You'll watch your _stupid_ opera after I find out why my early morning wrestling is being blocked out! _Inuyasha_ is supposed to be fighting today! Do you know how serious that is! Something better have happened or I'll go down to the station myself and smash their heads in!" Tenten angrily sat on the sofa and watched tv, waiting for the breaking news to show.

Hinata got up, an evil smile on her face and went into the kitchen. It was no surprise that pork buns were scattered throughout the fridge after Tenji's hunger hunt when Hinata searched for a snack. _Little devil._

Hinata's smile wavered as she thought about how this perfect family could be the end due to Neji's affair with Kin. She sighed and felt guilt hit her. She could have told Tenten a long time ago, but what would it have accomplished in the end? She would lose her cousin's trust and her best friend; too much was on the line. Hinata ran her fingers through her hair and stared out the kitchen window; people were gathering outside. Apparently for a yard sale. She heard Tenten's voice in the other room.

**"**That little fucker!" Hinata grew curious at Tenten's harsh-like tone. The girl sounded like she was going to cry. Had she found out about Neji. Hinata rushed in the room, her mind going all over the place.

Had she seen it? What would she say? Her heart started to speed up and soon, she sat down calmly next to the woman, waiting to see her tears or her angry face.

**"**I-I've wanted t-to tell you for so l-long, I-" Tenten shook her off and turned up the tv. A news anchor woman stood in front of Uchiha Corporation. The title at the bottom said BREAKING NEWS.

The woman was with a crowd of reporters who were surrounding a couple. Hinata held her breath. She was nervous, was it Neji and Kin? Tenten suddenly held her hand. Here it comes. Pink hair came into view. Hinata's world exploded the second time that day.

Sasuke was holding Sakura Haruno by her waist. His smirk and Sakura's beautiful smile was pierced perfectly in her head.

Tenten threw her remote at the TV, shattering the flat-screen. Tenji's scream was heard later on.

Hinata couldn't speak; the last thing she saw on the tv was Sasuke kissing Sakura's cheek while the pinkette was showing off...

a _ring_.

_What?_

* * *

Tenten's door was shoved open by Konan and Hinata's lawyer, Ino Yamanaka. Ino's briefcase contrasted with her bright yellow suit; that was her war color. Obnoxious and clearly seen, just like the girl's personality.

Konan entered the living room and noticed servants cleaning the rug where the TV once stood. _Tenten for sure._ She sat on the couch next to Hinata, ignoring the girl's sobbing, and motioned for Ino to join.

The barbie sat opposite of Hinata and started to pull papers out of her brief case, not etching a single emotion on her face. Even though it was a hurtful time, she had a job to do.

Konan turned toward the steaming Tenten, an emotionless face showing despite how heated she was inside.

**"**I suppose you two saw the same thing _millions_ of other people saw, right?" the question sounded more like a statement. Tenten nodded and grabbed tissues for Hinata, trying to shush the crying girl.

Ino continued pulling files and papers with many words out with a serious expression on her face.

**"**Never in my two years of work have I ever seen an Uchiha do _that_ in the public eye. I don't even know if this was a trick or not." The blonde looked up at Hinata . "Has he been.."

Hinata never responded. She had seen the women that had been with her husband in meetings giving her glares. She had since known he was a cheater. He had even told her so on their 'honeymoon'. He was not a faithful man, he admitted, but he would never admit to cheating on her. She didn't care then though; he said he loved her.

Konan snorted and pulled out her laptop. "I bet the people are raving over this already. Sasuke's in serious shit now.."

She quickly searched the blogs and websites that numerous fans visited on a daily basis. There were over four million comments about the Uchiha. The good news was that his shit had hit the fan. The bad news was that the negative comments weren't towards the notorious couple; it was targeted at Hinata.

Konan quickly closed down the laptop and clenched the bridge of her nose. "This is so bad." She tried to think of anything that could stop the madness from spreading. But she only knew one person who could stray the media from an Uchiha. " I need a diversion; Tenten, do you have the Sabaku Business number? " Tenten nodded and pulled out her Iphone and started searching until the business popped up.

The bun-headed woman held the crying girl tight while glaring at the wall in front of her.

"I swear to God that when I see that son-of –a-bitch that I will rip his fucking throat out.", Tenten seethed out, a deep frown on her face.

Konan pressed the call button and waited until the receptionist picked up.

**"**Matsuri, get Gaara on the phone. Tell him it's urgent...I don't give a damn about him being in the meeting! Give him the phone!", Konan yelled into the cell.

The room was quiet; no one dared to speak. Hinata's mind was in space. Sasuke had really done it, hadn't he. It's one thing to see him with other women but to see him on TV broadcasting it? She was heartbroken. Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha? He said that no one could replace her, no one. But now here he was, in the public eye, with another woman. A woman that Hinata had seen on many commercials and on many products. The same woman that had passed her in the hall of Uchiha Corps. The same woman that her husband had fallen in love with? They were mocking her existence. She couldn't let them do this to her reputation.

Hinata grabbed her coat and sprinted out the door to her Ferrari 458 Spider, ignoring the the yells of her to come back. She slipped in and quickly started up her engine; Ino slipped into the passenger seat and waved to Konan and Tenten. They nodded and quickly started dialing phone numbers. Tenji, looking lost, decided that the toilet seemed like a nice place to for him to stuff his daddy's forty-thousand dollar watches in before he came home.

The bluette's hand gripped the steering wheel while her other fondled with her wedding ring. A few tears escaped her eyes. Ino looked ahead of her with a menacing glare at the world. Both had the same thoughts in their head.

_This was war._

* * *

**_I hope I pleased you guys! I also hope it's long enough! Thank you guys so much for your support! REVIEW PLEASE! *Mwah*_**


	3. Chapter 2: Betrayal

_**Chapter Two: Betrayal**_

**"**_**Everyone suffers at least one bad betrayal in their lifetime. It's what unites us. The trick is not to let it destroy your trust in others when that happens. Don't let them take that from you." ― **Sherrilyn Kenyon, Invincible_

Gaara Sabaku was a man of ethics, which had got him through a lot in his life. He would admit that he had stepped on many people to get a step further into the business world, but hey, who didn't? This caused him to be on top in any _and_ everything he had in his life. For example, he owned the entire magnitude of Sabaku International Corporation (SIC) which sponsored many models, singers, actresses, _food products,_etc. Because of all of this, and his good genes, the hot head was at a good point in his life. So when his _associate _Konan interrupted a very important meeting concerning the start of a lingerie line, Gaara got pissed.

The redhead motioned towards the screen behind him.

"As you can see, SIC received a generously wealthy profit from women buyers last year after we produced our SIC Summer collection, whereas our SIC bathing suit line received the highest number of female buyers under twenty-five, making us the number one bathing suit line internationaly in the past two years.", the man explained, pointing to the chart that had the green arrow that was pointing up towards the corner of the board.

The elders smiled and began writing things down. Gaara smirked; they were eating out of his hands at the moment. His eyes slid to the corner of the room. _All but one._The guy in the corner of the room raised his hand and asked his question.

"SO what you're saying is that with a lingerie line that our female buyers would graciously purchase these items without hesitate because of our success with our bathing line, un?", the man asked while scribbling in his notepad.

"Exactly Deidara-senpai. That's what I'm saying.", Gaara sarcastically replied at the blonde, who now was unsure of Gaara's answer.

_Why did hell did I agree to merge with Akatsuki?_ Maybe it was because the blonde had persuaded him with the organization's memebers, who were dedicated to serving under Gaara's will. Most likely because his cousin Sasori had ordered him to _babysit_ the Akatsuki while their boss, Pein, was gone to Antarctica. The merging part came from a drunken night at a club. Gaara swore that he didn't remember signing anything that night, but Deidara had to disagree..

"Is that a yes or a no? I'm not exactly clear on that?" Gaara ignored him and was about to continued when his meek assistant, Matsuri, busted through the crystal double doors, a frantic look on her face flushed face.

"I'm sorry to interrupt sir, but there's a _very _important call waiting on you. Right now. Sir", the brunette sputtered. The elders(and Deidara) looked towards the redhead in questioning. Gaara internally sighed.

_This had better be some damn important phone call_, Gaara seethed before setting down the screens remote.

"I-It's Konan-sama, sir.", the intern squeaked at him. Gaara growled, startling Deidara a little making him tear his pen through his notepad.

Gaara gave a small smirk at the elders before excusing himself from the meeting. Matsuri quickly sat behind the desk, a nervous smile graced on her features. Sea-green eyes gazed at the Iphone (didn't everyone have one of these?) on the young girls desk before snatching it up and walking to his office. He wouldn't dare use an office phone; it made him look like a whipped-married man. He was basically two young (if you consider twenty being young) to look like a business man.

He sat down in the desk and turned the 'hold' button off. "What is it Konan?"

"_A simple task that I know you can handle."_Gaara started to pick at the sticky note on his desk. Had Matsuri put that there? He repeated his first question through the phone.

A sigh was heard through the phone. _"__Turn on your TV."_The read head grabbed the remote and popped it on. His eyes held no astonishment at the news showing; he had already knew about the affair. It was bound to come out.

"Uchiha's scandal is out, hn. What exactly does that have to do with me?"

An angry sigh was heard. _"__Pull out your damn laptop and look on her twitter page, Gaara."_His eye twitched at the nickname before he slowly pulled out his laptop and typed in the woman's name. Numerous pages popped up but only one held his eye. Six million tweets in the past hour and a half?

His eyes looked at her profile picture for a second before he strolled down her page. Comments updated ever second. It was not what the redhead was expecting either; what kind of fans would support a cheating man? The tweets were unreal.

**-It was expected to happen soon. That girl doesn't have a backbone at all, much like her late mother. Sad I tell you.**

**-I knew she couldn't handle him; she may be cute but she's weak as Hell.**

**-Who is she? I never saw her! I didn't even know #Sasuke was married!**

**-Oh, I can't wait for Sasuke to marry Sakura! She would make a wonderful bride! #SasuSakuALLTHEWAY;3**

**-I feel sorry for the poor girl, her husband left her for another woman! Oh well, I guess happy endings aren't always for everyone; sometimes even forthe good girls. #SAD**

Gaara quickly closed the contraption and held his head in his hand. They were going in on the girl for no apparent reason. The Uchiha couldn't seem to do no wrong to the mortals of this world...

"Looks bad, but once again what does it have to do with me?"

"_She's going through a rough time, Gaara. She needs some assistance on this."_

Gaara looked back at the TV and saw that the couple's limo headed towards a bistro, most likely for a celebration. Reporters scattered around them, snapping cameras and holding out the microphones for the couple.

"Why are you telling me this?" The readhead rubbed his temple. Konan breathed a heavy sigh.

"_You're the only person I know who will understand. Isn't this the type of thing that your mother committed suicide over?"_Gaara's eyes snapped away from the TV and towards the picture on his desk.

The sandy blonde in the pictured smiled up at him, her grin filled with joy. It was true; his mother had committed suicide. After his father left his mother, the media judged and downed her very existence. Then his father won himself and his siblings in a court battle, which left there mother with nothing. The very next day, she was found dead in her hotel room, overdosed on her heart medication. Gaara shook his head and stared harder at the picture with a heavy heart.

He still missed his mother. Konan knew how to bend him.

"Yeah, it was," he turned back to the television, "What do you need?"

_"I need you to give her a diversion. Something that will take the public's eye off of her for a while until she gets straight."_ Gaara continued to watch the screen as the pinkette held onto the grinning man's arm. _"I'll pay you back. Big Time."_

The redhead snapped his eyes back on his mother's photo; her teals eyes gleamed through the picture full of life. She was here, at this very moment. She was urging him to help the Hyuuga. He wouldn't let the Hyuuga fall face forward when he had enough strength for the both of them; she had been through enough. Gaara spoke into the phone after a few seconds.

"You need a diversion, you got one." He pressed the end button and set the phone down. He knew what he had to do and it wasn't going to be good. He sighed angrily.

Why couldn't he had just said no? It's not like he cared for the Hyuuga. Right?

"Dammit. I feel like a fool." Gaara pressed a button and two minutes later Matsuri, Kankuro, and Temari were soon in front of his desk. He stood up and paced towards his large window from the sixth floor.

Temari turned and read the caption on the news' station. "Uchiha and Haruno engagement? Isn't he already married?" She turned towards Matsuri, who shrugged sadly. Matsuri believed in happy endings after marriage so this was not her favorite day. Kankuro jumped behind the hot head's desk and started to spin around in the chair.

**"**Does it matter? Sasuke is a man of the media, not a man of marriage. I knew this day would come when he finally leave the little girl for a real woman." He opened his palm and waited for Temari to hand him his two hundred dollar bet. "Pay up, loser."

Temari rolled her eyes, but grabbed a wad of money from her bra and passed it to her brother, who made bleching sounds.

"Ewww, is this wet?!"

Matsuri, a huge supporter of SasuHina, scolded the two. "How could you two bet on their marriage?! That's probably the reason why they aren't together right now!" A heated argument started amongst the three as Gaara continued to stare down at the people of Japan.

**"**Silence." The room paused. He turned and pierced his sharp eyes at the misfit team. "Temari, take my place in the meeting and continue; Matsuri, postpone all my meetings for today." Matsuri gave a thumbs up and followed Temari out the room.

Gaara slowly turned towards his brother in the desk. Today would be the first time in years that Gaara had helped someone out.

A small blush crossed his features before he uttered the words that would forever change his life in the world's eye. It would either bring uprising or his downfall.

**"**Kankuro, leak the tape." Kankuro's face resembled that of a fish.

**"**Y-You mean the one with you and Suck-on Kin?!" Gaara glared at him, almost throwing out a remark against his brother, but denied it and walked out the room. His steps were hard. This would bring him down, but he had to do it. He wouldn't let anyone go through what his mother had to go through with his father. Not if he had anything to say about it.

Gaara slipped out the room and onto the elevator. He closed his eyes as he waited for the doors to close.

_God, please don't let this backfire_, he silently prayed.

* * *

The ferrari sped to a stop in front of The Akimichi Bistro. Hinata quickly parked the blue car before jumping out and marching up the steps. She was going to confront them head on. Ino grew nervous at the meek girl's anger; would she really attack them?

"Hinata, wait just a minute! You can't just barge in there and attack them!", Ino called in urgency.

Hinata's eyes held fire as she glared back at the blonde."I will damn well do as I please, Ino!"

Ino grabbed her denim jacket and pulled her back, anger also in her blue eyes. She could tell that the Hyuuga was fed up; in this kind of rage anything could occur.

"As your lawyer I can't let you do that , Hinata! Listen to me!" The Hyuuga snatched her arm away and pushed through the double doors. Ino sighed heavily before running after the girl.

Hinata's boots clacked painfully on the marbled floors. She was angry, too angry. Not just from the affair, but from her three years of being faithful to Sasuke. She wanted to scream at him, attack him on the spot. And that beautiful woman. That particular woman that had snatched her husband away when she wasn't looking.

The bluette walked up to the reservation stand, Ino trailing behind her. The waiter, stunned, stuttered.

"R-reservation, Mrs. Uchiha?" Hinata's lavender orbs narrowed at the man. He looked nervous, like he was hiding something. _Was everyone on his side?_

"I don't need a reservation. I just need to get to the table." The frantic waiter motioned her through the back where many couples were fancied and dazzled in their best. Hinata's anger never wavered which scared Ino to her wits. Hinata's thoughts yelled in her head.

_All these years I've been faithful to you. I never argued, begged, or tried to annoy you. I was a good wife; I wanted your love, your acceptance! Why did you have to go and fall in love with her? Am I not good enough for you? Pretty? Is it because I'm not popular, well known?_The girl's mind flashed back to her freshman year.

Sasuke was one top; she was on the bottom. He was popular; she was a nerd. He was everything; she was nothing. Even though this surfaced through her mind, she still couldn't help but love him. He was always there when she had needed him. Hinata's flame started to give out a little. Did he ever love her?

_"Hinata, I love you. No one would ever take your place in my heart."_

She stopped two feet away from the couple which caused the waiter to stop also.

Sasuke and Sakura were chatting with each other from what the bluette could see. Sakura's engagment ring glowed from the table. Hinata openly stared at the two, her hand covering her mouth. Her husband was smiling; it was a big, beautiful smile that lit the very room of the restaurant. It nearly knocked Hinata off her feet. Never had Sasuke smiled with her. The Hyuuga looked down at her boots. _She brings out the best in him._ She looked back up at the table and saw that Sakura was seemingly teasing him and it caused a light blush to surface on his face.

Their love was known; he didn't need her anymore. She wanted to break down right there on the spot. Her heart was hurting.

She was still in love with him after all he had done. She wanted him to leave Sakura; she would still accept him back despite his cheating ways and her newly gained public humiliation. Hinata was still in love with him.

"I'm so sorry, Hinata." The blonde's voice wasn't heart by Hinata; her head was filled with so many thoughts at once.

The Hyuuga's mind was blown. She looked back towards the table and looked at her husband. She still couldn't believe it. _He was smiling, actually smiling_. Her heart started to break slowly. He was happy.

A few tears ran down her cheeks. She slowly brushed Ino's hand off her and walked towards the exit.

Ino looked at her friend leaving; she stood in her spot until Hinata was out the door. Her eyes snapped back over towards the table. The blonde decided that even though Hinata didn't confront them, that didn't mean she wouldn't.

A tiny smirk surfaced Ino's face as she strutted towards them with her yellow stilettos. Sakura, in idle chat with her _fiance _shot her green gems towards Ino, who was positioned in front of the group. The talking seceded. Ino ignored the fomer model and looked towards the Uchiha.

"So I guess it is true. You really are a dirt bag." Ino spat. The Uchiha's flawless face remained impassive as Sakura glared at the blonde. The soft chatter in the room quieted down at Ino's loud comment.

"What the hell are you doing here, Ino?", Sakura spoke softly, completely annoyed by Ino's presence. Ino continued to ignore the pinkette. The attention in the room was focused on the trio.

**"**You know, you're not as bad as people say you are – you're much, much worse." Ino frowned at him. "And you must be stupid. Do you know how much alimony a spouse can get from infidelity in marriage?"

**"**If they're separated, it's not cheating, Yamanaka. You of all people should know that since you are a lawyer as you claim you are." Sakura said as she gave the blonde a devious smile. Ino narrowed her eyes.

The blonde narrowed her blue eyes and patiently waited to speak."Separation papers never passed through to me. It seems like you're lying, Sasuke." Sakura's eyes gleamed with amusement.

"We delivered them months ago, actually. Shikamaru handed them personally to her." _Three months ago?... Three months ago, Sasuke were planning a business convention for Uchiha. They couldn't have been seperated then._Ino shook her head and looked to Sasuke. She wouldn't believe it until Hinata told her.

"You think this is a game, Uchiha? That you can just do this to _your wife _and that Karma won't come back to kick you in your snobby ass? Well, I've got news for you; it will, and I pray to God that I be there when that cocky ass smirk is whipped from your face.", The angry blonde stopped and pretended to ponder on what she, "Oh, I forgot, I will be there to see you get whipped in the face. Prepare to battle me in court, Uchiha. You're gonna need it."

Sasuke looked unfazed by her comment and continued to smirk. Ino turned back around and continued to leave but not before hearing Uchiha's voice once more.

"Tell Hyuuga not to wait up for me." _Hyuuga? _Ino also decided that even though Hinata didn't try to attack the two, she would.. Hopefully Chouji wouldn't sue her for flipping over his five thousand dollar porcelain handmade table.

Or attempting to attack one of his paying customers.

**(^^^)**

Ino stomped out the restaurant with a broken yellow heel in her hand. She wiped the miso off her yellow jacket while angerily trying to fix the broken hairband that had came off her head. Hinata teary face glanced in her direction before starting up the car.

Ino screamed in agony. "Those bitches better be ready for me in court! I'll tear them to shreds!" Hinata didn't respond; she continued to speed down the street towards the intersection. Ino, forgetting about her broken hairband, propped her bare feet on the headboard and looked across the passing river and trees.

"I hate them, especially that cocky Uchiha. He did look nice in that Armani suit though; I'll give the bastard that."

Ino looked toward the sky and saw huge mountains up the road."Where are we heading?"

Hinata turned the steering wheel making the ferrari roar to the right side of the road."Daddy's house. I need to speak to Hanabi about father giving me my room back."

Ino looked at the meek girl in question. Hinata's face held no emotion unlike earlier. Ino sighed at the girl's short response and glanced at a passing billboard.

The Main Gang was plastered on the billboard with only the Uchiha and Hyuuga this time. Sasuke and Neji.

"I'm sorry for the way I acted earlier. Y-You were only trying to help me.", Hinata spoke, sincere apology in her words. Ino waved it off and stared at the upcoming sign a little longer. Another MAIN GANG billboard was up, this time with the famous lawyer, Shikamaru. _What the Hell is this?_

Ino then remembered her conversation with Sasuke at the bistro. The barbie glared at Hinata. She didn't like not receiving info on her client _especially _ones that were approached by the media.

"Hinata, why didn't you tell me that you and Sasuke were separated?"

Hinata looked towards Ino with an offended look on her face when she heard that. Sasuke and her mentioned with the word 'seperated' clouded and erupted in her mind.

"W-we are not s-separated. Who told you that?"

Ino hair whipped in the wind and she hurriedly tried to capture the long mane. She arched her eyebrow in Hinata's direction."Sasuke said that you two have been separated for a couple of months now. Now please tell me, are you two separated?"

Hinata shook her head in annoyance at the blonde; surely she would remember if she was handed separation papers.

**"**Did you get any papers in the past six months, Hinata?", Ino asked, a certain edge in her tone. The girl sped up the car as she passed a Lamborghini on the interstate. Had she gotten any papers? The bluette looked through the rear-view mirror before suddenly remembering some papers.

**"**T-the only papers I got were from Shikamaru about a joint account o-or something." Ino groaned loudly; her job was getting harder. Shikamaru Nara, one of Japan's most intellectual lawyers had doped her. Since when did Nara deal with finance?

Ino pulled her hair in frustration

"Hinata, you signed a fucking separation agreement! What else did you sign, huh, a prenup?!"The blonde screeched in the roaring wind that whipped her hair.

Hinata snapped at Ino.

"S-stop yelling at me! I didn't k-know! I-I was so busy organizing S-sas-, _my husband's_ meetings that week that I didn't r-read the damn thing! "

Silence was then graced upon the two. The air was tense; so much had happened today. So much pain for no apparent reason, so much hate, betrayal. Hinata was slowly cracking because she didn't know what to do. Not reading the document Shikamaru gave her made her feel week and betrayed.

Did her husband really want to get away from her so badly that he would make Shikamaru give her papers without her knowing? Everything in her somewhat peaceful life was broken. The silence was broken my Hinata's tears..

** "**I-I'm so stupid. I should have known this was going to happen. T-two years of this marriage and he still d-doesn't like me! I-I can't believe I fooled myself i-into believing that he loved me.", the gitl spoke, stray tears coming down her cheeks.

Ino listened silently letting a few of her own tears spill from her frustration. The day had turned sour definitely.

Hinata wiped her tears away from her eyes and tried to focus on the road.

**"**I-I tried to give him everything he wanted, but he refused me. I'm still a v-virgin, Ino! Am I that disgusting ? C-Can I ever amount to a-anything? W-Why can't I be loved l-like Sakura?"

Ino stopped her from talking. "Hinata, you are loved! We love you Hinata, all of us do!" Hinata shook her head.

"Soon, I won't have anyone. When Tenten finds out about the affair between Neji and Kin, she'll stop talking to me. Then Neji will ignore me even more; Tenji will then be gone. Then after that S-Sasuke will want to divorce me for good. Then father will assume I am not only a lousy daughter but a lousy wife too!I won't have anyone to love or be loved by! My fans are leaving me behind; they think I'm weak!" The Hyuuga's sobs increased and soon the car started to wave a little. Ino, not taking any chances, grabbed the wheel and ordered Hinata to pull over.

The Ferrari pulled over at the edge of the mountain; the sunset waved goodbye to the sunny day while night squeezed in to take over her shift. The two women looked over Japan. The night sky glittered with twinkling stars like a milky way. Hinata was still sobbing while Ino, in her distressed state, held the meek girl.

"Hinata, you aren't weak. You never were and you never will be.", the blonde tightened her hold of the girl**. **

Ino looked down at Japan and saw the Uchiha symbol lighting up over the building, right next to the Hyuuga's. She narrowed her eyes.

_Whatever the Hell you are planning, Uchiha, I will find out. _The duo stayed for what seemed like hours staring over the mountain's side; Hinata, tears silently falling from her lavender orbs, and Ino, with tangled hair, a broken heel, and a miso-stained jacket that would cost a fortune to get cleaned.

Hinata looked down on Japan. Her face still held tears. _What else could make this day any worse?_ She would soon find out that she spoke to soon.

* * *

**_Oh, I would like to dedicate this revision to _**_**dreamsandbeyond**._


	4. Chapter 3: I, Who Have Nothing

**_Chapter Three: I, Who Have Nothing_**

_**"Weeping is not the same thing as crying, It takes your whole body to weep, and when it`s over, you feel like you don`t have any bones left to hold you up." **_  
_**― **_Sarah Ockler, Twenty Boy Summer

Ino had decided to drive to the Hyuuga Mansion this time despite her bare feet. Hinata gazed out at the stars beyond the drop top car. They were especially bright tonight. The bluette stared up at the glittering sky, memories clouding her mind.

_Mother loved watching the stars_. Hinata's heart lurched in her chest.

"What the hell is going on up here?", said the blonde as she passed limos and luxury vehicles exiting the driveway of the Mansion. Hinata sat up in her seat and peered ahead through her thick bangs. Why would cars be coming from her home?

Ino pulled the car around in the curve of the driveway and parked it. Some people lingered at the entrance of the place wearing business suits and formal attire. The attire contained the Hyuuga symbol. Hinata suddenly became confused as she opened the door and stepped out.

"Get the fuck off me, you peasants! I want to see my sister!", a young voice bellowed.

From a distance, loud opening and closing of the clan doors was heard and a brunette in a dark dress stomped out of the Mansion towards the duo; it was Hanabi. Said girl stopped a few feet away from the ferarai on the verge of breaking down, a few unshed tears blinding her white orbs.

In need to comfort her sister, Hinata rushed forward and grabbed her shoulders. "Nee-chan, what is wrong? Did something bad happen to you?" The one thing that Hinata greatly feared was the exilation of Hanabi; the girl had been doing rebellious stunts against the clan for a couple of months now. Hanabi looked up at her sister and saw their mother in her.

Hanabi reached forward and buried her head into Hinata's chest as she began to sob and mumble incoherent words that the older Hyuuga couldn't understand. Hinata held her and told her to slow down.

**"**Where the hell were you?! I tried to defend you! They wouldn't listen to me! Where were you? You were supposed to be here defending yourself!", Hanabi screeched with a hoarse voice.

Ino looked at Hinata in question; the bluette looked even more confused

"What are you talking about Ha-" Hinata began, but the air suddenly became tense.

"Looks like you were too late, Hinata-sama.", a deep voice spoke. Hinata slid her eyes over and met with cold, distant ones. Hanabi gripped the girl's jacket and cried harder into Hinata's chest. Hinata looked in question at her older cousin; she expected him to answer her question without hesitance.

"Neji-nii. Tell me, what is going on?" The handsome brunette boy let a light smirk play on his face. He walked towards Hinata and stopped right beside her. The tension in the air heightened as well as Hanabi's sobs in her sisters chest.

" As of a couple of hours ago, Hiashi replaced you as Heir of Hyuuga Corpartion with me.", Hinata froze as he continued. "Your title as heir has been dropped and, at this moment, your occupation and time at the Corporation."

Hanabi grip on Hinata's jacket didn't cease as Neji walked away to his awaiting limo. Shocked, Hinata whipped around and stared at the evil man's limo; the door opened and revealed the last person Hinata expected to see, Kin. The girl gave Neji a peck before darting her brown eyes towards Hinata. Wickedness seemed to roar in them. Soon, the limo pulled off into the distance.

Hinata's breath turned heavy and suddenly everything seemed unreal. So much was happening to the girl at once, first her husband, now her position? What was next to come.

**"M**rs. Uchiha , I'm going to have to ask you to please leave the premises.", said a bulky bodyguard from the girl's side.

Hinata looked up towards the man in confusion."W-what are you talking about, sir? I am an original member of the Main Branch; I-I have ever r-right to be here." The bodyguard, Ko, looked at Hinata with sympathy in his white orbs before shaking his head.

"You have been ordered by Neji-sama to exit the premises. As the new Heir to the Hyuuga Clan, the leader has ordered that you also be disowned, mi'lady."

...It seemed that Hinata's world would keep on erupting into flames today, no matter how much water she threw on the burning flames.

"No, this isn't happening to me right now. God please let this be a dream!", Hinata yelled into the dark night sky as she gripped Hanabi tightly, surely almost crushing the younger girls fragile figure. Fresh tears started to come down the distressed girl's face.

Ino watched on as the sisters held onto each other for dear life. Ko pulled the two away from each other with the assistance of another burly guard. The sisters tried to grab for each other's hands; Hanabi was being pulled back by the guard while Ko pulled Hinata away from the steps of her family home.

"Hinata!", Hanabi screamed for her sister.

The Hyuuga Grand doors closed as Hanabi was shoved in; Hinata was set down carefully by Ko outside of the gates. Her car was also moved outside of the gates. The crying girl watched as the gates of the place that her and her mother, and her sister shared many memories was closed before her eyes. The same house that she had last seen her mother in.

Ino watched the whole heart-breaking scene and quickly turned her head before Hinata's tears flowed. She couldn't watch Hinata cry anymore; it was becoming sickening by each moment.

Depressed, the blonde walked towards a bench in front of the gates and pulled out her Iphone. She quickly dialed the purple-haired assistance's number. The dial tone screeched and rung before the line connected.

**"**_How is she? Has she calmed down?"_ A few tears fell from the attorney's eyesA few tears fell from the attorney's eyes. Hinata fell to her knees in front of the gates and clutched the bars.

"_-__no? Ino, are you there?"_

"H-Hinata just lost her throne to Neji. She also lost her seat as one of the e-executive staff." Ino looked towards the girl and saw that she was looking up towards the sky full of stars. The girl was on her knees, balling her eyes out; She was lost. Ino soon spoke into the phone.

"She has been disowned from Hyuuga all together...surprisenly not by her _noble _father, but by her own cousin. She's lost her family, throne, and her contact to any of the Hyuuga members."

Konan's paused on the phone. _This is bad, really bad._

* * *

"Even though we've started this early, we need to speed it up a bit.", proclaimed the lawyer, Shikamaru Nara as he scrolled through his messages on his phone. Sasuke 'hned' in agreement as he lit his cigarette and propped his legs on the black, marble table.

Naruto Uzumaki, proud heir of the Namikaze Family and Co., blanched at the smoke that wafted his way and quickly waved the heavy smoke away from his area. He was prone to have asthma after being around Sasuke and his dirty habits.

"Oi, Teme, put that damn cancer stick out! You're slowly giving us second hand smoke!.", Naruto yelled as he fanned the smoke away and began to have a dramatic coughing fit.

The Uchiha pulled and then let go of the smoke from his mouth towards Naruto, little smoke rings forming towards the boisterous man's nose."Shut up, baka."

The door to Nara's condo was opened by Neji as he slipped off his tan coat. Once the coat was off, the red marks on his neck showed in the bright lamps in the room. Naruto howled in laughter.

"Woah, look at our little Neji all grown up! Looks like he's a real man now!", the blond yelled as the Hyuuga hung up his coat. Neji glared at the blonde charmer before taking his seat at the table. Sasuke swiftly pulled out another cigarette and handed it to the sighing Neji.

"How much do we have now?", asked the brunette as he lit the stick. Shikamaru set down his phone and pulled out the papers in his briefcase and looked over them.

"Right now, combined, the joint account of Hyuuga, Uchiha, Namikaze, and Nara have alltogether an estimated $910 billion.", replied the counting lawyer. All heads turned towards Shikamaru in disbelief. How can that be possible; the Main Gang Corporation _(MGC)_ had just launched this weekend.

Naruto soon spoke. "So, as of now, we have this much money, in less than **one** fucking week? I can't believe it!"

The Uchiha smirked as well as Neji. Their plan was beginning to come into action.

"We'll have this mission accomplished by the end of this week. I'll call you guys tomorrow for another meeting."., Neji got up and grabbed his coat before the charming blonde stopped him.

"What's the rush, Neji?! We just started talking!", Naruto called.

Sasuke whacked the hysterical blonde over the head, which lead to silent cursing from the blonde.

"My son has grown ill. He just called.", Neji answered as he gave the men a sided-glance.

The room became quiet. They all knew that Neji was crazy about his son; he would give his own life for him. They couldn't say the same thing about his wife though, considering how much he loved Kin.

Shikamaru waved the stressed man off while lighting his cigarette. "We'll catch you tomorrow. Give Tenji my regards." Once the man walked out, the tension in the room decreased.

"Troublesome. And mother wonders why I keep condoms in places that I go to.",said the lazy lawyer as he opened his refrigerator and pulled out an orange. Sasuke rolled his and looked through his phone; Sakura had called him three times in the last fifteen minutes. He smirked; _she's so_ attached_ it's pathetic. _

Naruto popped on the flat-screen television on the wall opposite the group and scrolled through the channels

Soon, his arm became numb. "Shika, you know ya have some shitty service in this-",His eyes then widened in disbelief.

"Gaara and Kin have a _sex tape_! Gaara, the freaking Sabaku owner!" All eyes stared at the projector.

The news broadcaster spoke. "**_Yes folks, it seems that the world known, 'Hottest Bad Boy' Sabuku owner Gaara Sabaku's sex tape has been released today. The guy who released this infamous tape wants to be anonymous in the public's eye but says that this will be the biggest scandal yet!"_**

A picture of the redhead was brought on the tv. The Uchiha clenched his fists at the picture. _That bastard._

Shikamaru looked between Sasuke and the Tv while peeling his orange; he wasn't shocked in the least. "Well isn't this troublesome. I wonder what Sasori will say now that his kin is in the public again. You think he'll finally drop the guy from the 'Akatsuki'?"

Naruto 'tsked' before speaking. "You know that will never happen. Akatsuki and the Sabaku Companies have just started working together. A minor slip like this will never make their bond waver, even if it is something that could hang over their heads for awhile and possibly drop very few consumers from their overall average."

Sasuke continued to stare at the tv. "And that little bitch Deidara Suoh is working with Sabaku. They would never drop something that one of their members invests in." Shikamaru sighed and threw the excess peel into the trashcan.

"Either way, we have to watch those guys. They could be a big rain cloud over our heads. Let's just stay low for a minute." Naruto looked towards the brooding Uchiha.

"What about Hinata? Don't you think she'll react towards this as well?" Sasuke smirked and looked at the TV screen; a picture of him and Sakura were plastered on it.

"If she's not in my arms or in my bed, does the public really care for what she has to say?"

Shikamaru silently glared at the Uchiha, an overwhelming guilt swamping his mood.

* * *

Hinata was quiet; the whole ride away from the mansion of her family home was quiet. She didn't have anymore tears to shed. This was the worst day of her life hands down, besides the day her mother died. She was lost, confused, and **hurt.** The bluette didn't have any family to turn to; her husband was engaged to another woman, her _cousin_ hated her guts (notion was proved true when her disowned her), and now her sister was being taken away from her.

_Nothing could make this day any worse._ Hinata looked up at the starry sky. Her mind was clouded by so many things.

How could she make it through _this_? Her mother wasn't alive to help her. No one was here. Ino and Konan were there for her, but they couldn't understand the pain she was going through. No one could.

"Hinata, everything is going to be okay.", replied the blonde as she sped down the long, lonely road. Hinata begged to differ; she had just lost a_ husband_, her _family_, and her position as _Heir_. Let's not forget her freaking _sister_.

"Everything isn't okay, Ino. I-I don't think it ever will be right now. My life right now is a mess and I don't know what to do." Hinata wanted a drink. A stiff one. To bad she wasn't at the appropriate age to drink.

Ino looked at the woman next to her and smiled; she hardly stuttered at all. "Never would have thought a nineteen year old could go through so much in one day." Hinata glared out the window. Ino smiled and looked towards the road again.

"You can stay at my place tonight. I know you probably won't want to-!" Hinata cut her off. She didn't want to be a burden to the girl.

"That's okay, Ino. I'll just go to a motel o-or something!" The Ferrari pulled over towards a local gas station. With a sheepish look on her face, Ino looked towards the bluette.

"I know you're feeling down right now, but the car needs some juice. You up for pumping the gas?", the woman said nervously. Hinata sighed before stepping out and walking towards the mini store. Ino stared at the girl's back and smiled.

"Everything will be okay, Hina. I promise."

_**(^^^)**_

The chime of the door spooked the girl a little as she stepped through the doors. It had been a long time since she had been to a gas station; fans were so heavy nowadays that you couldn't even go grocery shopping anymore. Being a celebrity was like being restrained like an animal sometimes. Looking along the row of candy, chips, and various food items, Hinata decided to get a pack of gum and headed towards checkout; ignoring the bright red head that walked past her.

Without question, Hinata handed the yawning woman her black card. The woman swiped it once before looking back up at her, a sympathetic look on her young features.

"Ma'am, this card was declinded." The bluette's head snapped up at the woman. Scissors cut the black card.

Before Hinata could object, a pale hand put a card on the counter. "Pay for me and her all together." The cashier rung them up and them their respective bags.

The girl turned to thank the man. "T-Thank you very much, Mr.." Teal eyes stared into her lavender ones.

"Gaara. Just Gaara." Hinata swooned a little as the tall, elegant redhead walked out the store. The cashier screamed in excitement as she realized that **the Gaara AND Hinata** were in her little store.

Hinata decided to rush out. Gaara popped into her head as Ino quickly pulled off, forgeting to get the gas.

**(^^^)**

"S-So I don't have a cent to my name?", asked Hinata as she sat on Ino's bed next to Konan. The said girl looked at Hinata with serious eyes.

"Sasuke cut you off and Neji took everything you had when he became heir, so automatically the money in your separate banking account disappeared." Hinata sighed as she layed back. _So much for joint accounts..._

Ino then came into the room with a bowl of popcorn; her hair was down, a look that Hinata thought weird."You can stay here for however long you need, okay? I would love the company. It gets pretty lonely here sometimes."

Hinata smiled at Ino as she reached for the bow; it was her fifth bowl this go around. Her crying had caused her a huge appetite. Konan looked at her skeptically with hazel eyes.

"You aren't pregnant, are you?" The meek girl choked on her food before responding quickly.

"N-No! I'm still a virgin, Konan! D-Don't startle me like that again!" Konan shrugged before looking down at her Ipad again. Ino wanted to linger on the topic a little more.

"A virgin? You can't be serious Hinata. You are married to **The Sasuke Uchiha**. Rumours said that he was a sex-addict..." Hinata took her hand away from the bowl and looked down at her hands.

"I-I don't f-feel comfortable t-talking a-about it right n-now...", the girl answered as she began to pick at her pants.

The blonde looked on in sympathy at the girl. Two years of marriage and the girl didn't know what sex was; two years

. Ino decided that she would be there for the girl when she was ready to talk and decided to approach another topic."Tenten said that Tenji had to be taken to the hospital. She said that he might have the flu, but overall he's fine."

Hinata nodded. As long as he was okay, she was fine. Konan shook her head and added to the conversation."I still can't believe that Neji did that. Goes to show you how some families are."

Hinata protested against her.

"I-It was expected to happen soon. Neji is ten times better than me in everything." The room was quiet again.

"Don't agree with that pathetic excuse for a man; he just took away your sister.", Konan glared at Hinata.

"I-I know..." Ino joined.

"And your _husband_ just left you for one of Japan's most beautiful women."

Hinata looked at her hands."I-I know that too..."

"You don't have a _cent_ to your name, Hinata! You're going to file bankruptcy publicly! And soon enough you'll be going to court to fight for alimony from your husband, who has _Shikamaru Nara _as his freaking lawyer. Are you feeling angry now?! 'Cause I'm pissed!" Ino yelled. Konan tried to mask her anger but to no avail.

Hinata looked at the two girls and smiled. "I have hit rock bottom; there's no way to go but up now."

The blonde stared into Hinata's eyes. "What are you going to do now?"

"I still have feelings for Sasuke and I still love Neji-nii.", the uplifted girl said as she got up from the bed. Ino grimaced.

"Why aren't you angry?! You have every right to be?! Why don't you do something about them?!", Ino yelled.

"I will never stoop to their level. I have to stop clinging to people and grow up! This is a sign! All my life I-I had someone to defend me or take care of m-me; I don't have that anymore. It's just me. They won't get away scotch-free c-completely; they've done too much to hurt me!" Hinata turned her back towards them and tried to stop her tears. "Maybe now I-I can grow, maybe become something other than a 'wife'. I don't know...", she trailed off, her tone lighting some.

Ino and Konan looked at her in confusion; not because of her tears, but because of a piece of paper sticking up from her shirt.

"Hinata, you have something on your shirt.", replied Konan nonchalantly as she looked back down at her Ipad and grabbed some popcorn. Hinata, confused, grabbed the note and looked at what it contained.

A small smile crossed the girl's features. "Looks like my new beginning is already happening."

_Sabaku Building. Sixth Floor. Nine-thirty. -Panda-Kun_

"W-Who's Panda-Kun?"

Konan choked on her popcorn. Ino fainted.

* * *

_**I'm sorry if this story is short! I'll revise some errors I have later! Thank you all for your reviews! Now I must say this: KEEP 'EM COMING! ;) POLLS ARE UP! REVISED 4-15-13**_


	5. Chapter 4: New Beginnings

_**Chapter Four: New Beginnings**_

_**"Although no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending." **_**  
**― Carl Bard

**"**Now remember Hinata, poise is a girl's best friend. As well as diamonds!", replied Ino as she stopped her 2013 Rolls Royce at the red light.

Konan rolled her eyes at the lawyer's opinion.**"**I strongly disagree with that. Every girl's best friend is Ben and Jerry. Helps with a lot of problems in life."

Ino snorted and looked towards her passenger seat.

**"**You just say that because you're a fatty! Everyone knows that diamonds are what counts!"

"Everyone that has been a gold-digger once or twice in their life.", Konan responded back, her face boring no emotion at all.

"You would know, wouldn't you whore?", Ino glared to the woman beside her while trying to keep her attention on the road.

The personal assistant sighed before picking at her nails."Yeah I would, you asked me many times to buy you things even though you had the money."

Ino groaned loudly, swerving on the road a bit, which caused several cars to beep at her."There you go again, bringing up the PAST! I don't waste bill money on shoes, Konan!"

"That's just what a gold-digging whore would say."

Hinata sighed in the back seat at the petty argument going on in the front and began to pick at her indigo sundress Ino bought her. She was nervous and jittery about 'meeting' she was going to have with the Sabaku; Ino and Konan's argument wasn't helping her at all. It was only causing her nerves in her body to react with her filling bladder.

"A-are we there yet, Ino? I-I really have to use the r-restroom.", Hinata asked as she moved around in her seat to push up her bladder. The blonde looked in the mirror at the squirming girl.

"Hinata now is not the time to have the bladder of a three year-old! I told you to go before we got in the car, did I not?!",yelled Ino as she cut off a lamborgini in the put her head down as pedestrians started to yell at the Rolls Royce, not wanting to be the one drivers suspected as the blonde's associate.

Hinata objected. "N-No, you yelled at me to get in the car!"

"Pipe down, will ya!" Ino, not wanting to hear the whining girl, turned the corner sharply, making Hinata fall on the back seat. Ino quickly parked the car and looked back at the bluette, etching an innocent grin on her face.**"**We're here."

Hinata glared at the blonde before stepping out the car and slamming the door, which made Ino squeak. Konan also stepped out with Ipad in hand; she was going to need it.

Ino jumped out the car and checked the backseat door for a scratch of the disowened Hyuuga's abuse. The one thing the blonde loved besides hot guys were got cars.

Hinata looked towards the towering building; it seemed to have been bigger than she had expected, which made her heart speed up a bit. Konan turned towards her and gave a lazy smile."Don't stress out to much, 'kay? Gaara is a good guy."

Ino snorted while talking out her compact mirror. "A good guy with a hot ass! Hinata, I think we've found your rebound guy!"

Hinata glared once more at the blonde before speed walking towards the entrance of the huge building with Konan and Ino. The sundress and heels were uncomfortable to the bluette, but she couldn't object to it. Even though Ino had bought her the clothes, she still wished she had the money to buy her own things.

Hinata shook her head before looking both ways and walking towards the building. Screams and shouts were heard, which caused the girl to look up at the crowd of people at the entrance. _Is something big happening here today?_ Hinata shook her thoughts out of her head; if she was going to get back her image it had to start now. She couldn't care what the media thought of her, right? The bluette, with new found confidence, started to walk across the large parking lot.

A car cut her off before she could make it though.

It was that black lamborgini that Ino had cut off. Hinata jumped back a little in shock. Had that car been following them?

The tinted window of the car rolled down slowly. Ino's gulp was heard in the air.

Hinata's felt the world around her slow down as she peered into red-tinted eyes. She thought she wouldn't have to see eyes like those ever again.

"Hn. I didn't think I'd see your face again after my little brother's stunt." Itachi Uchiha; member of the notorious Akatsuki and one of Japan's most eligible bachelors. Also Hinata's brother-in-law. For now, that is.

The meek girl looked around nervously before speaking. "H-Hello to you too, Itachi-nii-san." Said man smirked at the girl and glanced at Ino before stepping out of the car. The blonde stood in a nervous stance.

Konan smirked at her."What happened to having poise?" Ino ignored the assistant's sarcastic question.

Hinata looked away from Itachi's face once he got out the car. Even though he was nice to her, she couldn't help but dislike him, if only a little; he looked like Sasuke too much. And he had a cold aura around him, just like Sasuke.

**"**I'm afraid I cannot chat with you here." ,The tall man made a pointed glance towards a the building entrance. A crowd of paparazzi was scattered around.

Konan went on guard along with Ino."I'll try and move the crowd away from the exit a little. You and Ino can go in with Itachi."

Hinata's head snapped towards the purple haired woman. She couldn't possibly go in with Itachi; the media would take it and completely exaggerate the whole situation.

Before the girl could protest though, Itachi had already taken off his jacket and was covering both her and himself. Ino walked ahead of them and through the doors, ignoring the boisterous fans and cameras. Hinata could hear the opening of car doors and news reporters talking. Their voices pierced her brain despite her and Itachi's struggle to avoid the rowdy fans.

_**"Good morning, Tsu. I am standing here outside Sabaku Corporations along with thousands of fans here waiting for the Akatsuki to arrive for the Big Decision. Just now Itachi Uchiha was seen walking among the crowd, but not alone. We couldn't make out the person next to the man, but we can say that it was definitely a woman! This is Rin with Japan's Number One NEWS station!" **_Hinata sighed a little with relief. That was until the coat was pulled from them by a raging fan.

Screams uplifted in the crowd as Hinata and Itachi were seen side by side, the older Uchiha holding her waist. It was a misunderstanding. A big misunderstanding.

_**"It's Hinata Uchiha! Could this be the start of a scandal? Yesterday Sasuke announced his engagement to his supermodel girlfriend Sakura Haruno despite him still being married to Hinata. Inside Sources say that the girl's cousin Neji Hyuuga was named Heir to the Hyuuga throne, which knocked Hinata out of seat and also from the sacred clan! Now being seen here at this very moment is one of Japan's eligible bachelors Itachi and Hinata, the disowned Hyuuga AND soon to be divorcee of Sasuke. Is this just a little in-law misunderstanding or is this more than a sis-bro relationship?"** _The news reporter continued. Hinata looked forward though.

The scared girl tried to shield her eyes against the flashing lights that erupted from cameras. They were everywhere. The girl looked up at Itachi. His face held no emotion as his bodyguards pushed back the screaming fans. They both knew that this was going to go viral. It always did.

* * *

"You have a knack for getting caught up in the media, hn?", asked the Uchiha as he and Hinata got on the elevator.

The girl nodded quickly before grabbing the railing on the wall; she still had to go. Where was her assistant when she needed her now? It was awkward

"I want to apologize on Sasuke's behalf. Our family is never that disgraceful.", she heard him say, much to her surprise.

Lavender eyes snapped back into the red ones. _**Itachi** Uchiha_ _is apologizing for_ **Sasuke's** _mistakes?_

"Y-You have nothing t-to apologize for, Nii-san. I-I should be the one asking for forgiveness. I wasn't a-able to be a g-good wife to him, so he l-left.", Hinata didn't want to talk about _him_; it was still painful. The girl heard a sigh from the older Uchiha.

"This is why my little brother left you; you are too submissive. Sakura is a challenge for him, which is why he is drawn to her now." Hinata's heart stopped as she stared at Itachi. He was calling her _weak_.

"It may sound cruel and heartless, but it is the truth. You are not strong enough for Sasuke. I knew this little 'marriage' thing was going to end before it began.", he stated, his even tone never changing. The elevator doors opened. Itachi glanced at the slowly breaking girl.

"Nonetheless Hinata, you are a good woman. You were just thrown in the wrong place at the wrong time in Sasuke's life." Once the man was gone, Hinata let her tears flow.

Did everyone think she was weak and pathetic? She was tired of crying.

The girl exited the elevator and looked in search of a restroom. She needed to release her bladder as well as her held in tears. Hinata turned and saw a woman sitting at a desk. She decided to ask her.

"A-Ano, excuse me? C-Can you tell me where the restroom is?" ,The secretary looked up at Hinata and screamed."OMG OMG OMG! You're Hinata Uchiha! OMG OMG! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! OMG!"

Hinata was crushed in a hug by the screaming girl, suddenly forgetting about her bulging bladder.

"Matsuri, let her go!", a sandy blonde in a black suit pulled the squealing assistant from the bluette, causing one of Hinata's shoes to come off. The star struck brunette was put into a room. The blonde looked back at Hinata with a sheepish smile.

"Sorry about that. Employees around here hardly get to see any stars while on duty." Hinata blushed a little.

"I'm Temari by the way, Gaara's older sister.", Temari greeted, a small smirk on her face.

The former Hyuuga squeaked when she heard this. She was getting cold feet at this point. _This was his sister! Older sister?!_ She felt like fainting."I-I'm Hinata, pleased to m-meet you Temari-san."

Temari smirked at the girl."It's Temari. Just Temari."

Hinata blushed at the line; it was the same one that she had heard at the store yesterday.

She shook herself of the nervousness and looked back towards the busty woman."C-Could you show me w-where the restroom is? I r-really need to go."

The sandy blonde let her eyes widen a bit before a small smile came onto her lips."Just turn down that hallway and go two doors down."

Hinata thanked Temari before scurried away like a mouse. It seemed that she was getting more nervous by the minute. Once the girl found the bathroom, she realized that her tears never fell. The were gone and forgotten. She prayed she wouldn't have to face Itachi again; she was sure she would snap.

_God please let this day get better. Please._

_**(^^^)**_

The room was big and wide. A long table with a lot of chairs were scattered about; much like a meeting room. Hinata gulped as she sat down in one of the chairs. Ino and Konan were no where to be seen. The girl sighed before taking out her phone and scrolling through it. There were six text messages. All from Sasuke

A gasp erupted from Hinata as she stared at the little mail icon. Why was he texting her? He just took everything from her. He had major balls it seemed.

"I'm glad you could make it." Hinata's eyes snapped up and were meet with teal. Her heart started to beat fast. It was him; Gaara Sabaku. Hinata closed the phone before cutting it off. He wouldn't ruin this for her.

The bluette quickly stood before rushing towards the 6 feet man. His dark suit made his fiery hair stand out.

Hinata began the conversation."T-Thank you so much for inviting me, Sabaku-san." Gaara gave a light nod and a smile before sitting at the head of the table. Hinata quickly joined the seat next to him. She felt comfortable around him for some odd reason."T-Thank you s-so much for the diversion. I-I really needed it and I appreciate it."

"No problem. But it seemed that my efforts were in vain considering how Neji knocked you from your throne.", he spoke, uncertaintity for bringing up the touchy topic in his voice. Hinata rolled her eyes and looked at the mahogany table. She didn't even want to _think _about Neji at the moment; it made her stomach queasy.

"If there is anything I-I can do for you, let me know. I'm so sorry I had to put you through this!", she answered quickly.

Gaara waved her off and leaned forward in his chair. "Don't worry about it."

Suddenly the door opened loudly and in came the men from Hell. Akatsuki.

They came in order somehow. Hinata looked on in awe as they took their respective places at the table. How could they look so beautiful and unique? _Why aren't I unique?_

"What did I tell you about picking up strays, Gaara?", replied a redhead as he sat down in one of the chairs and took out his laptop. Hinata bowed her head in her lap.

"Come on Sasori my man, don't be so tough on the girl.", The handsome blonde man winked at Hinata; she turned away and found the table again.

Sasori snorted before taking out his reading glasses. "She's no better than the rest of us."

"You're just mad that the girl took your seat.", a bluish man suddenly spoke up while taking the seat in front of the dark redhead.

Sasori glared at the blue man sitting in front of him. He seemed to have a temper today."Where the Hell is your pimp, bitch? I think he needs to put you in your place." Hinata flinched at the foreign words. Weren't they supposed to be mature?

Kisame snarled at the rude man. "Deidara, calm down your boy before he gets the pimp hand."

Deidara ignored the outbursts and turned towards Hinata, a light smirk on his face."So, you seeing anyone?" The bluette narrowed her eyes in confusion and was about to responde but was cut off.

"She's not interested in dating, Deidara. Take out your damn files and get ready for the meeting.", an emotionless tone answered, which could have only been from Konan. Hinata looked up in relief and saw Ino and Konan entering the room, a McDonald's bag in their hands.

Gaara rolled his eyes as Konan ruffled his hair. Ino pinched his butt with a devious smirk, which caused him to jump a little. The pair quickly took their seats beside Hinata before digging in. The meek girl watched angrily as they ate. She didn't get a chance to eat anything this morning because of Ino's excuse to get here on time.

"Oh Panda-Kun, it seems like forever since I've seen you. You're still as adorable as ever.", Ino cooed playfully as Gaara blushed a little at the sudden outburst.

Deidara chuckled a bit before responding."You won't be thinking that once you see that tape! Man, that's some good stuff!" All eyes shifted on the blonde.

"You saw that! You're gross, man! He's our co-worker!" Deidara shrugged before taking out his notepad. The door opened once again to reveal the man Hinata was trying to avoid, Itachi.

He made his way over to the chair in front of Hinata, who was squirming nervously. She was feeling unsafe; Itachi always had seemed to have this effect on people. He was very intimidating.

"Your pimp's here, fish-bitch! I think you better pay up your money!", replied the nonchalant Sasori as he typed something on his laptop. Kisame glared at Sasori.

"Shut the f-!"

"Be quiet." The room was silenced by Gaara as he started to speak. He coughed a bit at the awkward silence, as if he was forgetting something, but soon waved it off and started back to his meeting."Now that that's settled, this meeting was-"

An albino man with a half-buttoned dress shirt was shown opening the door with multiple bags of McDonald's in his hands.

"The sex-god has arrived, with FOOD you bitches!"

Gaara sighed as the chatter in the room increased. He had had enough of their childishness. How they're company was so successful, he would never know.

"Silence." The room was quiet soon with only the sound of munching. The redhead sighed once more before looking down at Hinata."This meeting was called on such short amount for one reason and one reason only; the clothing and lingere line."

Deidara perked up at this."You mean the line you were talking about with the elders yesterday, un?"

Hinata gasped a little in excitement. She loved buying SO SIC clothing even though Sasuke wouldn't let her.

Gaara nodded before continuing."A thought had popped in my head that day also. Every lingerie and line you see today, what does it have as it's symbol to sell?"

"Hot women in underwear and hot women in tight clothing.", replied Hidan as he bit out of his sandwich.

Gaara snapped towards Hidan in agreement of his opinion."Exactly. Have sale profits increased in these kinds of products, no. Will it increase? If a new design is made, maybe."

Kisame spoke up. "What are you saying Gaara?" Gaara smirked before glancing at Hinata. Said girl jumped as his piercing eyes met hers.

"We need a young girl with a sweet and pure look gracing our line." All eyes looked at Hinata. She was confused. _What are they_ saying? This was going too fast.

Konan looked towards Gaara. "So what you are saying is that people, particularly women, are tired of buying provacative clothing? That's something you don't hear everyday," said the purpled haired woman sarcastically as she wrote something down.

"An innocent, little virgin lingere **and **clothing line, eh? I'll bite.", replied Kisame as he typed something down on his Ipad and started a quick chat with Itachi, who was also jotting something down.

"So you're trying to 'cover up' the women but still give them a sexy look?" Hidan replied with interest.

"Yes. It'll be something big that can compete with many different company lines."

Itachi looked towards Gaara."Who will become the spokesmodel for all this?" Gaara smirked.

"This will be international. Brilliant." He turned towards Hinata."It will be designed for women like you, Hyuuga. Congratulations, you're our new spokes model."

Hinata heard gasps and chairs moving before she fainted on the sight. She had a feeling that this meeting was far from over with. _Me, a model?_

* * *

**Thank you all so much for your reviews. They really helped me to shape this chapter up a bit. Please excuse the dialogue problems; they are being fixed up right away. 8-13-13**


	6. Chapter 5: Served

_**Chapter Five****: Served**_

**"Most people don't believe something can happen until it already has. That's not stupidity or weakness, that's just human nature**_**." **__**  
**__― Max Brooks, __World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War_

Hinata held the ice pack to her head as she listened to Gaara continue on with the meeting. They seemed intent on getting it over with.

Deidara decided to start it off. "Who will be the Design coordinator for this line, un? I want to get in on it."

Sasori glared at the excited blonde through his glasses.**"**I think we all know that I will be doing the designs, Deidara. If it were up to you, the girl would be wearing bombs." The handsome blonde flipped off the redhead.

**"**Can we start now? I need to finish my part by this week so that I can head out to Iceland.", asked Kisame as he started looking at Hinata's face and quickly writing down ideas.

Sasori snorted and balled up his wrapper. "Still trying to find your niche in the environment, I see. I told you already, you belong in the water ecosystem, where you will feed on the little fish and sometimes the bleach blondes swimming in the ocean and soon, die from a fisher's net."

Kisame slammed down his pen and stood from his chair. "Fish jokes again! It's a birth defect! A fucking birth defect!"

Sasori peered at him under his glasses with a dull look. "So your mom was a shark? That was why- "

"Don't say it-"

"-she had a lot of bite." Just when Kisame was going to go for the redhead's throat, Itachi pulled him back in his seat, not wanting any drama today. But that didn't stop the albino.

Hidan slammed his hands on the table, a wild look in his eyes.**"**So we're just gonna jump into this shit like that! It took about three fucking months to start the SO SIC line, why the hell are we jumping like pussies to help this bitch?"

Hinata flinched and quickly averted her gaze.

Gaara gave the man a stern look."She has potential. It's that simple.", Teal eyes gazed at the girl. She had so much innocence in her being. _So much that I can take away. _Gaara closed his eyes and pushed away his thoughts.

**"**W-wait a minute! D-Don't I have a say in this?" All eyes pointed towards her. Hinata pushed aside her fear and stood. She had to stand up for what she felt was right.

**"**I-I don't this line thing is a g-good idea. I'm t-too young to be doing things like this.", she tried to explain, but the raised eyebrows she was getting around the table made her feel more nervous in speaking aloud.

Gaara stood and adjusted his suit before throwing a smirk towards the girl.

"When you mean young, do you mean illiterate? Or do you mean slow? I guess that's the same thing right?", Sasori asked as he glared at the girl.

Ino glared at the redhead. "Back off before I break you off, puppeteer."

Gaara smile at the nervous bluette.**"**Nonsense. You're just what we need to finish this rival that the other competing companies have started towards us. "

He then turned towards the other men in the room. "We'll finish this meeting in the afternoon; an overnight stay is required. I'll text each of you the information and deadline that the line should be completed. You all are dismissed." Grunts and chatter filled the room as chairs screeched and the men gathered their things.

Hidan took out his phone and sighed. "Nine freaking hours in this damn meeting. I'm filing a complaint to the Elders about these long as business hours."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I just might miss Pein.", muttered Deidara as he stood and collected his things.

**"**That's just how the cookies crumble sometimes.", replied Konan as she grabbed the ice pack from Hinata's still throbbing head.

The girl squeaked.**"**I-It still hurts! G-Give it back!" Ino shushed her. She didn't need any attention drawn to her at the moment; she already had people wanting to claw her head off at the moment (Sasori).

Hinata shivered as she felt a hot breath on her neck.

**"**Don't think that because Gaara thinks 'highly' of you that he _wants_ you, because he doesn't. My cousin has a very peculiar preference in women, more on the highlights of _independent. _The very thing that you can't even imagine to have.", Sasori stated with venom and soon motioned for Deidara to come and the duo strutted out. The former-Hyuuga wiped the lone tear that came out of her eye.

It was a start, right? One tear, not a dozen. Ino patted the young woman's shoulder abruptly, trying to soothe the girl's shattering demure.

**"**Welcome to the business world, Hinata. A world full of hard-working, sexist, cocky-ass sons-of-a-bithches who think that a _lone woman_ can't survive by herself without being attached to a man."

Ino looked down at the girl with a determined smile and wicked gleam in her azure eyes.

**"**Ready to wreck some havoc?"

* * *

It had been two quickly, grueling weeks since the young Hyuuga had seen her dear sister. Phone calls weren't enough for her anymore. She had decided that she would take the risk to meet her older sister, no matter the circumstances. Hopefully the clan didn't find her missing for a couple of days.

Hanabi tightened scarf on her head and adjusted her dark glass while walking towards the little cafe across the road from the Sabaku Corps. She wanted her sister, _badly._ She had missed the older girl too much already. A _day_ away from her sister was like a day without oxygen and sunshine; you needed it to live.

Once inside, the girl sat at one of the empty tables and held up her menu to hide her face. The girl didn't need any paparazzi fans creeping her out today. She just wanted her sister.

The doorbell chimed a sweet tone to the girl's ears as she scanned the entry way for her sister. Hanabi's voice hitched her in throat as she realized that this wasn't her dear Hinata; it was the charmer of that damned 'Main Gang' shit. The man's azure eyes glanced around the cafe until he met her figure. Hanabi stiffened her posture and looked towards the menu before looking back up at the man. His face turned into a devious grin as he found out her true identity.

_Naruto Uzumaki_ was here?!

The girl's throat tightened each step he made his way to her table, confidence and charisma radiating off of him. A few squeals were heard from the people in the room as they realized the tall man in the cafe. Hanabi nerves started to kick in when she felt eyes all on her. Phones started to snap pictures of the table. She silently prayed, something that Hinata had taught her to do in times of need. _God, please wrap me in your embrace; please shield me from this cruel spirit, Lord. I ask that you keep me sane-_

**"**What a coincidence, huh? Just when I was looking for Hina-chan, you pop up. I guess today I won't have to play cat-and-mouse, neh?" Hanabi shivered at the man's deep tone as he gazed at her with his sharp blue eyes and that nerve-wrecking smirk that would make a woman go mad from desire.

The younger Hyuuga shut her eyes and tried to erase her lewd thoughts of Naruto out of her head.

**"**Don't call my sister that you traitor! You don't even deserve to call her names on your lips!", she tried to yell, but felt her voice diminishing when she saw a low smirk come onto his face.

A chuckle was heard from the handsome man as he leaned forward, his elbows on the table.

The girl squeaked as her glasses were quickly removed from the blonde and put into his breast pocket on his $4,000 suit. Her lavender eyes blinked in fear. Naruto smirked once more, admiring the glint of fear shown from her.

**"**I guess I should make it clear who has the upper hand here, darling. Now, be a nice little girl and answer all my questions," he sized the girl up, "and you might just get a prize."

Hanabi gulped at the solemnity in his tone.

Naruto pretended to think for a moment."How has the Hyuuga, well, _former Heir_ been fairing? I hope that her life is well?", he asked, that mocking tone still in his voice.

Hanabi glared at him, ignoring the chiming of the bell on the door.**"**Why the hell would I tell you? Do you really think that I would give up info on my sister and betray her for low-lives like you and your little _entourage_? Think again, Uzumaki." , she barked; the smirk never ceased from his face. His eyes became bright with amusement.

**"**I would think that you would do whatever you could to protect your sister. I mean, you owe her that much. You couldn't even save her from being exiled; a Hyuuga child with no voice or reasoning whatsoever. I'm so sorry.", Naruto spoke, his eyes feeling with a lighter hue; lavender orbs widened at the blonde's believable tone. There was a reason her cousin called him a _charmer_. She felt like she was becoming part of his spell.

His large hands grabbed hers; his ocean eye searched hers. "Tell me; how is she fairing? Does she have shelter, food? Is someone helping her out in any possible way? I'm very concerned."

The brunette's lip trembled and unshed tears made their way to her reddening eyes. She felt like a load was on her. She needed to release it.**"**S-She is doing okay, I guess. The same old shy Hinata I know. The last time I t-talked to her, she was on her way to an interview at one of the diners downtown. I tried to give her m-money, but she refused.", sputtered the tearing girl.

Naruto nodded his head, listening intently while running little circles with his thumbs on her palm.**"**Do you know if she has had any _contact_ with Sabaku Corps? " Hanabi stared at the clothed table before looking back up at him. God, his eyes were so mesmerizing.

A light voice cut her off before she could speak.

"G-Get away from my sister, N-Naruto." The brunette's hands were released as well as the comfort that Hanabi had felt with the blonde. Betrayal and resentment crossed the Hyuuga's features as Naruto stared at her older sister with a cocky smirk.

He chuckled a bit while staring at her."Speak of the devil. You're just the person I wanted to speak with." Hinata glared at the blonde while putting her hands on Hanabi's shoulders. Naruto stood and took something out his pocket. It was a thick, folded document. Her heart sped up.

He threw it on the table and stared at Hinata with amusement dancing his blue eyes.

"You've been served, Hyu- excuse me, _Hina-chan_." Naruto walked towards the exit, but not before looking back at the two."Take care."

The bell chimed once more as he stepped out. Hinata maneuvered towards the documents and quickly opened them. Her eyes widened. **Divorce** was stamped on the title. Hinata covered her mouth with her free hand and stared intensely at the writing.

"What is it? What does it say?", Hanabi asked, concerned on what he sister was upset about.

The bluette looked at her sister."D-Divorce. He's leaving me for good.", she chocked out; Hanabi's eyes started to water as her sister sat down in the chair across from her, put her face into her hands and cried. Hanabi knew that those tears were not just for Sasuke, but for their mother. They, both of them, _needed _her right now. They were lost, both were. Hanabi looked down in her lap and let the tears hit her teal dress.

Right there, in the little cafe across the street from the Sabaku Corps, two sisters cried. The cameras in the cafe increased as well as the people as they realized that _both _of the Hyuuga sister's were in the cafe. Still though, they cried.

One cried for her sister's pain, their mother, her reprimanding father, and her place in this heartless world.

The other cried for their mother, her failing marriage, her husband, her cousin, her clan, her father, and herself.

_Sasuke_.

They were _lost_ and _hurt_. But that didn't mean that they were alone...

**Right?**

* * *

Tenten's face was stony as she glared out the fourth floor of the hospital window. She continuously blinked her eyes in a series every minute, trying to see if this was an illusion of some sort. However many times she did though, the figures still were there. They still were there, walking towards his white 2013 Jaguar in the parking lot; the woman's arms around his waist and his phone to his ear. They looked like a happy couple. Yep, very happy and close.

Tenten blinked her eyes rapidly. They were still there in her sight. The girl lifted her mouth towards his cheek-

The bun-headed girl blinked once again. No, still there. A giggle came from the boy on the bed, which caused Tenten to quickly turn towards the sound. She raced towards the bed and kneeled before it. Tenji's lavender eyes stared back, still sickly but better than before. He had finally awakened.

"Mommy, what were ya looking at? Can I see, please, please?" The boy sat up and clapped his hands, engergy lighting up his veins. Tenten didn't respond. She stared at her little boy. He looked so much like him. A mini- Neji. Her anger surfaced in her heart.

Her sweet brown eyes gazed at Tenji's. "You need your rest, sweetie. Can you stay here and be a big boy while mommy steps out for a couple of minutes?" Tenji's innocent eyes widened as he smiled. He could be a big boy for his mommy. He nodded and hugged his mommy before laying back in the bed and grabbing the remote.

Spongebob's theme song came on as Tenten marched out the room, fire dancing in her eyes.

**(^^^)**

Kin lazily leaned against the Hyuuga and looked at others walking towards the hospital. Neji's voice drawled threw the air, a soothing tune for the girl.

"Move the girl's things to the shelter...yes. Something useful can be made of the things that she doesn't need. Kin won't mind...Tenji is fine. We're heading back now." The young woman hitched up at the sound of Tenji. She wanted him to be her son so much! She loved the little guy, even though he didn't know her yet. She put her hand to her stomach and smiled a little. Soon, she would have her own little girl or boy. Guilt hit the two-month pregnant woman as she thought of his _wife_.

Kin knew that karma was going to bite a chunk out of her ass; She prayed not that hard though. Neji stopped once he got to the car and unlock the locks before opening Kin's door. The girl smiled towards him and gently got in. The Hyuuga continued to talk into his phone as he got into the driver's seat. He glanced at Kin and glared at her a little.

Kin looked at him, confused before realizing her mistake. She quickly buckled her seatbelt and smiled brightly at him. She was content; and in love.

A knock on her window made the pretty woman look up. There stood his wife. She looked towards Neji and back at his wife. The bun-headed woman waved towards her quickly before showing her what she had in her hand. Kin stared in horror at the metal contraption in the madwoman's hands.

Kin's scream was heard as the metal bat smashed the window next to her. The brunette smirked before shattering the windshield. Neji quickly dropped his phone and exited the car before muttering 'shit'.

"Tenten, what the hell?!", he yelled as Tenten stood up against the jaguar, twirling the metal piece in her hand as she glared at Neji.

She smirked a bit, her eyes on fire."Did you really** think **that I was going to watch as you drove off with your bitch."

The Hyuuga closed the spaces between him and Tenten, anger in his lavender orbs; Tenten didn't stand down though. She then broke the back window, making the pregnant woman scream. Kin quickly got out of the car and hide behind Neji. The little glass pieces stuck to her dress a bit.

The brunette seethed at the couple.

Her eyes then met Neji's cold ones as she laughed a bit."I can't believe this is happening. Sasuke got away with it, and now you think that you can, too? You've got life messed the fuck up, Neji!"

Neji stepped towards her, which caused her to break the back windshield. Kin screamed in agony at the now messed-up Jaguar that Neji and her had picked out.

Tenten stood and stared at him in disbelief. She was still in shock; her mind had gone crazy all of a sudden. She was a maniac at the moment.

"Oh, so you're going to hit me? Come on, Neji, do it! I want to see you hit me! Show whose the bigger man!"

"Stop this foolishness, woman." Tenten's eyes widened at her new 'name'. She threw the bay in another direction and walked towards the other side of the car. That's when Kin's belly was seen.

"What the fuck? This can't be real! She's pregnant, Neji, really?!", screamed the mother as she punched the driver's window. Kin winched at the girl's brute strength. She did not want an ass-whopping today.

Neji grabbed Tenten's arms and lifted her to his eyesight, her toes not touching the ground.

His lavender orbs glared at her."Calm down. You're being unreasonable." A crowd started to form around the trio. Tenten shrugged out of his grip and fell on the ground. She stared at the couple before her. Her anger went haywire as she looked at his mistress's swollen stomach. She couldn't take it anymore.

Before she knew it, her fist contacted to Neji's face. It was a brutal hit; one that brought silence through the air. Neji's eyes glared at her deadly. Tenten screamed in his face.

"I can't believe that I've loved you all these years! I thought that you loved me; our family! I should have known you were cheating; I was so fucking stupid for believing in this fantasy crap that you put in my head!",Tenten grabbed at her head, making her signature buns loosen. Neji remained emotionless."We have a son, Neji! What are you going to tell him, huh?"

The Hyuuga wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and smirked at Tenten."That his mommy's going to be gone for a while." A confused look crossed the woman's face before police cars made their way into the hospital parking lot. Tenten stared in shock as the policemen rushed her.

Neji looked towards the frightened and guilty looking woman with an emotionless face."Go check him out of the hospital."

Kin nodded and quickly walked towards the hospital, but not before looking at the bun-headed woman being put into the police car. Tears stained her face as the door closed behind the policeman.

Kin concluded that Karma would not only bite her, but send her straight to **Hell**.

She then looked up at the fourth story window of the hospital and saw the brunette little boy staring out of it, a river of tears staining his cheeks as the police car pulled off. _Yup. I'm going to Hell._

"Where did she get the bat from though?", the woman wondered as she walked through the doors.

* * *

**Revised: 8-15-13**


	7. Chapter 6: Free

_**Chapter 6: Free**_

**"Make a pact with yourself today to not be defined by your past. Sometimes the greatest thing to come out of all your hard work isn't what you get for it, but what you become for it. Shake things up today! Be You...Be Free...Share." ― **_Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free_

The events of the past week were depressing as such, but they all prayed that the upcoming week would get better; Hinata, from her tiny room in Ino's basement; Hanabi, from her lonely, extravagant room in the Hyuuga palace; and Tenten, from her small, quarantined jail cell. All prayed hard and some tried to forgive even though their hearts were hurting. Change had to come. It had too.

Hinata got up from her kneeling position on the floor, clad in one of Ino's night dresses. She was not tired, not at all. She was restless ever since Tenten's phone call from the prison. The call had cost her money that she didn't have at the moment, but who wouldn't pick up a call from a dear friend? It didn't matter the circumstances, Hinata wanted to get Tenten out somehow. But how? The girl didn't have $6,000 on her.

The bluette looked towards window positioned upwards toward the wall. The moon's light shined through the makeshift window and illuminated throughout the partially dusty room. Hinata bit her lip while nervously rubbing her hands together. Who could she get the money from? Ino and Konan were out of the question; Ino was giving her a place to stay and was going to be her lawyer for her case while Konan was still by her side as her assistant even though the meek girl couldn't afford her. Itachi was a defininte no.

Gaara was then ruled out; he had a job waiting for her in the Fall so she couldn't possible ask him for bail-money along with the fact that she didn't know him well. Hinata sighed heavily and clutched her indigo tresses. Maybe she should have taken the money that Hanabi had offered her; she could have gotten a small house and paid off Tenten's bail without the hassle and difficulty. Her part-time job at one of the diners downtown didn't start until next week; she couldn't possibly leave Tenten in jail for a week. The whole prison would be in danger then.

Hinata pondered and ran through the faces of people that had helped her throughout her life. Who was the one person that always got her what she needed and sometimes wanted? Her father did that, but he probably wouldn't now. Who was always there for her in times of economic failutre? Who? A gasp went up into the dusty air of the basement.

_Sasuke._

The former-Hyuuga grimaced at her crazy idea. Sasuke? The man who was causing all this Hell?

Although he put her through a lot in her life, he _always_ gave her what she wanted, which wasn't much. Even then he would spoil her when she was content. Though she couldn't stand the thought, she knew he would give her the money; he seemed to never turn down a person in need before, would he really turn her down? But did she want to stoop so low to ask him to money? Would he laugh at her for being finacially unstable?

Hinata shook her head in disagreement. Of course she would do this for Tenten! The mother had always been there for her even though she had a child to take care of! ..Tenji; the woman had a child who was for sure missing her. The girl's heart clenched at the thought of her own mother being in a jail cell for however long. Hinata looked towards her clock. 8:30. She still had time.

The girl threw on some jeans and a shirt before grabbing her lilac jacket. She checked her pocket for money. Only seven dollars. _It will have to do for now._It was a hot night, but that didn't stop Hinata from zipping up the jacket and exiting the small house.

She stopped at the bus stop and waited. She was determined to get Tenten out. No matter the circumstances.

* * *

The Uchiha Mansion was full of guests tonight which had to mean one thing; an engagement party was taking place. Every celebrity known to man was attending is what many claimed; others suggested that the party was full of the _important_people. Basically international people.

The music was loud due to the live classical band dressed in the whitest color known. The waiters were dressed in their finest attire for the occasion; even the bright pink cherry blossoms laying on their silver trays were in their finest condition. Everyone their was beautiful and unique in their designs. So beautiful that it seemed unreal. It also seemed unreal that Mikoto Uchiha, dressed in the most expensive navy gown, was slumped in a chair glaring at everyone in the party.

Fugaku was seen from a far distance talking to the newly-engaged couple. The Uchiha Queen narrowed her eyes at the pair. It seemed that men always got what they wanted; Fugaku got her and now Sasuke has gotten the supermodel Sakura Haruno. Mikoto admitted that the woman was an extremely beautiful girl, but she couldn't see past the model's taking of a _married man _from the meek girl. It was a shame that Mikoto couldn't remember the girl's name, but she knew the girl's surname. Hyuuga.

"Are you enjoying the party?", asked an inquisitive, feminine voice. The Uchiha looked up towards the woman with acknowledgment in her eyes. It was Hana Inuzuka, the owner of the little pet shop downtown. Mikoto sighed and ushered the commoner to sit down next to her.

"Would you stop calling me that , foolish child? Call me Mama." Hana blushed while putting some brown hair behind her diamond-studded ear. There was some hostility in the woman's tone Hana inquired. Maybe the woman was upset at something?

"It seems that the festivities are a bore to you.", said the Inuzuka. Mikoto rolled her eyes before looking at the pair again. Her smile and his smirk fit well. With her by his side he seemed to shine bright. _Like diamonds, _thought the graying woman.

"Why should any of this be fun? We've been having these gatherings this whole year it seems, so it is likely that I become used to this, but I'm not."The Uchiha-Mom rubbed her temples in order to soothe her head from the pounding band. Hana smiled a little.

"You know, you and Mr. Uchiha are nice people. My mother would never ever let me throw a party at the house even if it is for engagements and celebrations." Mikoto turned towards the young girl and smirked. It was the family's signiture one.

"Do not worry about such silly things girl. Once you and Itachi get married, you both can-!" Hana started to choke on air before the woman could get out the full sentence. The Inuzuka squeaked a 'please don't do that' looking for the said man. He really didn't need to pop up now, not when her blush was all over. Mikoto narrowed her eyes at the 'lady'.

"Are you saying that you don't plan on marrying my boy! Are you one of those husses that chase men for their money? Cause I've lived that life before!" Hana quickly shook her head, not being able to get any words out. A laugh came suddenly from the woman. The laughter quieted down and the pair stared at the pinkette and the dark-haired man.

Hana looked at Mikoto from the corner of her eyes. So many emotions flashed through the obsidian orbs; sadness, anger, but mostly guilt. Hana questioned the woman then.

"What are you thinking about?" Both continued to stare at the now dancing couple. They looked too perfect for each other. Almost unrealistic.

"I'm just thinking of all my down-falls in life. I just wish that I had raised my sons better is all. It seems that I was so concerned on being a good wife that I forgot that I also had to be a good mother, too." The woman looked on in sadness at the pair. "Where did he get the idea that it was okay to betray and hurt a woman, no, _his wife_ ? Where did I go wrong?" Hana glanced at the couple and back towards Mikoto. A furious atmosphere entered the air.

"Please excuse my language, ma'am, but you are a good mother! You can't just blame yourself for his actions. He's a grown ass man with responsibilities! He should know now that what he is doing is wrong! He broked Hinata in half! And now she's lost! Ugh, I just can't stand it! Damn hi-, excuse me, Damn his feelings!" Mikoto sighed and looked up at the walls. Uchiha fans covered them. She then smiled and looked towards the furious girl.

"I see why Itachi snatched you up. You've got a blunt insight on matters." The Inuzuka blushed red and quickly turned around to cover it up. Mikoto laughed heartly at the suddenly-shy girl. This seemed like the only girl the older woman agreed to.

"Well well, speak of the devil." Hana squeaked as a chair was pulled up next to her. There sat Itachi in all of his handsomeness. The girl frowned and folded her arms while scooting away from the stotic man; Itachi shook his head at her childishness while sitting on the soft-like chair next to her. Mikoto loved the couple's love spat. It reminded her a lot of Fugaku and herself; they weren't so close or 'touchy-feely' when they first started dating either. Mikoto's smile wavered a little as she compared Itachi to Sasuke; it seemed that Itachi was successful in his love life. She couldn't say the same for the younger one.

"Mother, are you teasing again?" Mikoto threw her hands up and muttered 'Heavens no'. Itachi leaned towards Hana a little before speaking.

"Tonight will be full of surprises it seems." Mikoto looked at him in question, arching a dark eyebrow at him.

He smirked a devious one. "Sasuke's wife is outside." The two women were stunned into silence among the loud party. All three then looked on at Sasuke and Sakura as one of the elder butlers whispered into the Uchiha's ear. The man stormed away towards the exit, leaving his fiance staring after him, a confused expression gracing her beauty. Mikoto's eyes widened and she quickly stood and followed after her son.

* * *

The humongous gate of the mansion made Hinata reconsider her actions a little. The girl stared ahead at the entrance in a certain trance. Could she really just walk up to the mansion and demand to see him after all this? She started to pace back in forward among the steps before stopping completely. Tenten's smile popped in her head. The girl sighed before quickly knocking on the large doors. The door was opened by one of the butlers of the Mansion. The man's balding head was shiny and such in the moon light. His eyes widened in recognition at the girl.

"Hyuuga-hime, what a pleasant surprise. Please come in." Hinata then thought that she must have looked horrible to the man; he was treating her like a homeless person. The girl shook her head.

"N-No thank you, sir. I just wanted to see someone for a minute." No other words were exchanged as the butler practically dragged the poor girl to the living area. She was left sitting on one of the plump couches.

Once the man rushed away, the bluette sinked into the cushiony couch, nervousness bouncing on her being. While waiting, the girl scanned the walls. Pictures of the family were everywhere, dating back to the 1800s and such. Baby pictures were no where to be found though, which struck the girl as odd. Hinata then realized what she was here for.

Any minute now, he would be here. This was the first time in weeks that she would see him since his 'engagement'. Hinata clenched her jacket. It still hurt, really bad. Did he ever love her at a certain point? Did he really care about her? They had dated a little before getting married, surely he should have gorwn feelings for her as she did for him. She was still in love with him, that hateful, rude man. The man that was divorcing her and leaving her for the woman he had always loved and wanted beside him. The bluette looked towards her shaking hands.

What would she say to him? Would her anger overpower her? Would she cry endlessly for him to come back to her? Nothing. Nothing swelled in the girl's chest; she was empty. She suddenly grew scared. Why wasn't she angry? Why wasn't she said? _Do I love Sasuke?_ Nothing made her heart beat fast.

Hinata glanced at a certain picture that was still on the wall. Sasuke and her on a picture during _their_ engagement party. She was so happy on that day, even though Sasuke was a brooding drama queen. The picture was so nice; her indigo hair contrasted with his dark locks, and his tiny smirk and her gigantic smile set it off perfectly. Hinata's eyes softend before confusion lighted them up.

In the background of the picture, a pink-haired woman stared at the camera as well, a pained look those green gems. _What the hell?_

"Hyuuga." Hinata ignored Sasuke's voice as she lifted from the couch and took the big picture off the wall. Her eyes weren't fooling her; it really was Sakura in the background. Pieces started to come together.

Main Gang? An organization made up of the most successful businesses in Japan.

How did they acheive their goals in coming up with this? Sasuke married her, which made her the wife of an Uchiha heir and left the Hyuuga Heir vulnerable. Neji gladly took this from her.

Shikamaru gave her papers when she was busy about a _joint-account_ of both the Hyuuga and Hyuuga branches funds; it was really an undercover seperation paper. If she ever wanted to divorce the bastard, she wouldn't get any money because at the time of his affairs they were, not to her knowing, _legally seperated_.

Naruto almost tried to smooth talk her sister into telling him what she was doing to see if she had found out about their plan. Hinata shook her head in anger; genius. _So in the end, he married me for power-influence over Japan. _

When their plan came into effect, Main Gang would be untouchable. _Those bastards. All of them are using me; they're trying to take away everything I have. _Tenten was forgotten.

"I don't have all day, woman", spoke the devil himself. Hinata couldn't think right now, she was seeing red. A sound of clacking heels came in suddenly, which stirred Hinata's thoughts. She knew exactly who it was; Mikoto Uchiha.

"Oh my God, you poor thing!" Mikoto rushed towards the bluette, who was still looking at the picture in her hands in a daze. The girl's hands were trembling. "I'm so sorry. I'm so so sorry." The former-Hyuuga ignored the woman and turned towards Sasuke a deadly look in her eyes. Sasuke remained emotionless.

Her tennis shoes quietly walked towards the tall man, the picture long gone and shattered on the marble floor. A squeak came from Mikoto.

"I can't believe it. Y-You were playing me this whole t-time." The room was tense and silent. Mikoto covered her mouth and couldn't stop the flow of tears from coming; she had found out. No tears came from the bluette's lavender orbs; they were sad and misty, which made the Uchiha's eyes widen.

He had expected her to yell at him, curse him, and attack him. But here she stood, in commoner clothes, looking up at him in sadness. His expression did not change though; he still thought of the sight of her as _pathetic. _She continued.

"I-I'm sorry for interupting what y-you all have going on right now.", Hinata pulled her indigo hair over her shoulder and stared at him a little longer. God, he was so beautiful.

The enormous livingroom was quickly filled up by the noisy guests of the event; Sakura stared on at the heart-felt seen, a few tears in her own eyes caused by her guilty conscious. Fugaku held no emotion; he held his wife as she shook her head in disbelief at the situation.

Hinata soon spoke. "But I have to get something off my chest right now.", she turned back towards her soon to be ex-husband, "In these past few weeks, I was mad and upset at you. I cried everday and prayed that you would come back to me. I-I would have t-taken you back despite what you had done to me, because I thought I loved you." Hitched breaths came after that sad yet cutting confession.

Hinata looked back down at her feet. "All the times I said that I loved you, I lied. I stopped loving you after I found out you were with someone else. Just now, I realized that and I'm sorry I can't take it back." Fugaku shook his head and looked over towards Sasuke; his face remained stotic. Fugaku sighed. _He masks his emotions well; Like a true Uchiha._

Itachi and Hana watched on in confusion at the pair. What was she talking about? Did she ever love Sasuke? They didn't get it.

"I guess I just wanted to belong somewhere. I-I wanted to feel wanted and accepted for who I was despite me being weak and s-shy. I wanted to be truly loved." She then averted her gaze to his dark eyes and was not surprised to see an emotion that he showed in them when he looked at her; nothing. "I'm just going to say it now then...I-I don't love you anymore, Sasuke. I don't need y-you to fight my battles anymore. I don't w-want to be bullied by you anymore. I won't a-ask you for nothing, I won't speak to y-you anymore!

"So please, forget about me! Don't check up on me! I'm fine without you! Keep your money, fame, love all to yourself because I don't want it anymore!" Just as Hinata was about to walk out the house, two thin arms held her in place and pushed towards a soft embrace.

The room was silent once again. Mikoto was hugging the broken girl like her life was on the line. Hinata wiggled out her in-law's embrace and ran out the door. Obsidian eyes watched her leave, a tint of anger splashed in them.

She didn't know why, but she felt free. Free from the marriage, from the fame, and from the man she didn't think she would ever love. Freedom at last, freedom at last.

_**(^^^)**_

Hinata walked non-stop from the mansion. She was sleepy and content. Her whole marriage was a joke; a plot to get power-high. She had wasted two years of her life trying to love him for who he was. She was faithful to him even though he humiliated her. But she didn't hate him; she felt nothing. The girl sighed and hummed a little.

She was humming a tone so loudly that she didn't even notice a 2013 Cadillac CTS pull up beside her jacket-clad figure. The girl jumped once she heard the beep. The tinted windows then rolled down. Hidan and Sasori were in her sight, a mocking smirk on their faces.

"Haha, looks like the bitch ran away from home!", screamed a deep voice. Hinata's peaceturned to sheer fear.

"Che, figures that she would turn into a street walker soon. She's low on funds until fall. Shame." The redhead pulled out his wallet. " Anyway, do you take solid bills, cause that's all I've got on me. I need a piece of that hot ass!" Hinata grimaced at the redhead's comment. He must me drunk, which is why Hidan is driving. Not that is helps much.

The back window soon rolled down and appeared the blonde beauty, Deidara. His blue eyes gleamed in acknowledgement and soon a grin came to his face.

"Need a ride cutie?" Hinata looked around and back at the car. It was nearly 12 O'clock; who knew what strangers would attack her. The girl was taking a risk, but who cares? She shrugged before getting in the back seat of the car.

What did she have to lose anyway?

Hidan drove the car at full speed, the music was pounding over the speakers. Hinata quickly buckled her seatbelt before glancing at the blonde man. He was singing the rock song aloud with Hidan at the moment. The girl's eyes sparkled in admiration. He was care-free. _Like mother._ His blonde hair was undone and his shirt was messy, but he was so happy in this moment. Hinata smiled at the group of business men.

From that moment on, Hinata decided she would try to be carefree for a while. At nineteen, who wouldn't? Hinata took off her jacket and threw it on the floor of the expensive car.

"Got any ideas, Hyuuga?", asked Sasori as he looked back at her through wild hazel eyes. Much like Tenten.

Hinata shouted then. "Oh no, I forgot about Tenten!" Deidara turned towards her in question; she had broken the sudden high that was in the vehicle. He then questioned her about it.

"M-My friend is in jail. I don't h-have the money to g-g-" Hidan cut her off by swinging the car in the direction of the jail house.

"Aw HELL YEAH! Hyuuga's got delinquent friends! Not so much of a goody-two shoes now!" The bluette yelled at the crazy albino.

"W-What are you doing?!" His periwinkle eyes looked at her through the rear-view mirror.

"Bailing out your bitch!" Hinata pondered the events of her day. They were random and out of character for her. She shrugged; that's what you get when you wanted change. This. Hopefully Konan or Ino didn't call her right now. She would be in deep shit then and who would want that to ruin their fun?

* * *

**Here you go! Sorry if it was random :) Hopefully you guys like it! I'll correct errors later. I probably won't be updating in a while, but don't fret! It will be a short break! The next chappie will be a court case! Don't forget to REVIEW!;) JA NE!**


	8. Chapter 7: My Life, The Past and Present

_**Chapter 7: My Life, The Past and Present**_

**" I know how it felt to be in a crowded room and feel alone. I also know how it feels to admire someone from afar. That was my life then; my life now is full of friends, so many new relationships I can make,so many people I can relate to. My life then is different from my life now. I'm me**_."- Quagomay_

"How the Hell did the bitch end up in the fucking slammer? Isn't she supposed to be that Hyuuga's wife or some bitch like that?", exclaimed the albino as he looked through the rear-view mirror at the out-of-place girl in the backseat. She shifted uncomfortably and thought of what to say. Even though they were helping her out, she couldn't possible tell them about Tenten's personal problems.

With a shaky breath, Hinata responded.

"Just m-martial problems is a-all." A howling of laughter ran through the air like a pack of goofy hyenas. Hinata blushed and put down her head; apparently these men knew nothing of privacy at all.

Deidara blew little smoke circles the girl's way and grinned. "Oh, come on. Can't you give us a little more than that?" Hinata shook her head and curled to the other side of the car as the blonde leaned in closer with the cancer stick. The bluette looked up into the rear-view mirror at the sound of the boisterous driver.

**"**We offer to bail the bitch out and you can't even tell us one little detail? I guess that you bitches run together in packs." The blonde rolled his eyes at Hidan's comment, but still kept his pointed gaze at the nervous bluette.

"Why so nervous? We don't bite, un."

"Much.", muttered Hidan as he swivered around a corner, effectively throwing the girl into the blonde's figure. Deep laughs rung through the car then, and Hinata silently prayed that it wouldn't wake up the sleepy redhead up front. She didn't want him on her case again; judging by how he insulted her at the meeting, she didn't want to get further on his bad side.

The terror zone was plain brown building with deadly wire laced around its gates. Large light's were in every corner of the prison and it seemed that prison guards lived in every square inch of the large war house. Even the windows were laced with wire and guarded. Hinata started to grow emotional at the thought of Tenten, a woman who always commended good behavior, doing something so bad that she ended up in this kind of prison made Hinata's churn.

Would she ever lose her mind like Tenten had?

"What kind of fucking prison in this? Looks like a piece of shit if you ask me." Hidan parked the car and got out, disappointment on his structured features. Deidara grinned and got out the car behind the albino, dropping his cigarette soon after.

"Maybe we could bomb the freaking place down, un. I think I've got enough C4 for a bit of the corners, maybe a little more for the entrance though." The blonde pulled out the illegal weaponry equipment and his grin widened.

Hinata stayed put in the backseat, figuring that the light snoring of the temperamental redhead was better than discussing how to bomb a place. She had spoke, or thought to soon though.

Sasori stirred and opened his hazel eyes. His eyes were half-lidded like they always had been as far as Hinata could tell; she couldn't tell if he was still drunk or not.

"Where the fuck are we? I thought you said we were going to Cosco's.", muttered the intoxicated redhead as he climbed out the car and leaned against the passenger door for support. Hinata quickly jumped out the car and stood behind the redhead in case he was in danger for a concussion against the rocks on the ground, which was the least she could do.

Hidan tried not to roll his eyes and glanced at Deidara, who was grinning widely at this point. "This is the last fucking time I'm going to tell you this, Pinocchio. We are not going to freaking _Cosco's_until ten."

Sasori whined again. " But it's already part ten, fuckass! It's part ten!" Hinata looked at the hazel-eyed man in confusion before looking at Hidan's face go red.

"What the fuck is a part ten? We're leaving at ten in the morning, not ten at night. Shit, I shouldn't have gave you that spiked drink if I knew this would happen. No more fucking Tarzan nights for you. Sucha fucking pussy."Sasori had seemed to have stopped listening and was now making the ground his new home.

Hinata's eyes drifted from the tall men to the front doors. She was tired of waiting. Every minute counted. The rest of the group trailed after Hinata, with the exception of the sickly Sasori, through the white double doors, where the bright lights of the guards greeted them with sick humour.

* * *

A bun-headed woman lied on one of the prison's small, hard bunk beds in the jail cell. Her cell mate was gone for evaluation with her lawyer, so Tenten could enjoy the silence the cell came with.

She didn't feel anything, nothing at all. She was in a daze; a bad dream. The puzzled pieces to her perfect life were a jumbled mess now, all taken away by the very last person she would have never dreamed, her husband, Neji.

Tenten had fallen in love with him in high school, her sophomore year. He was in the popular click with Sasuke and Naruto, the captain and co-captain in football, soccer, basketball, and _freaking_archery. Neji was the president of the student council and one of the rich kids. Tenten laughed bitterly.

_Isn't that a story to tell..._She had despised him until he confessed his feelings to her. He was so awkward and stuttery. _He wasn't like Sasuke and Naruto._She sighed and turned on her side and stared at the dusty floorboards.

_I gave him everything. I gave him my hand in marriage junior year and gave him a child senior year. I even dropped out of school when I was so close to graduation. _She glared._Now he's giving his all to a porn-star. _

"…knock his ass out with one and behind my back, then give him an uppercut to his throat…slap the other bitch since she's pregnant. I don't want to end up back in here for child endangerment."

The cell door slid open and Tenten briskly got up from her position on the bed. A burly brunette woman smiled lightly at her.

**"**Your bail was paid. You can grab your things on the way out." The bun-lady stood still for a minute before grinning. _HINATA!_

**" **I knew I could count on my girl!" The woman escorted Tenten toward the lobby.

* * *

Hinata shook with happiness as Hidan took the stack of money out of pocket, which made the woman at the front desk drop her mouth. Hidan slowly counted the money aloud.

"$1,000...$3,000...$5,000.. you know what, just take the whole fucking thing!" He threw the money on the desk and pulled out his ID. The woman glared at Hidan before grabbing the money greedily and throwing it under the desk. Hinata glared at the woman._She's probably going to keep all the extra to herself._

The desk woman curiously looked in Hidan and Deidara's direction, realization on her features.

"...You're Hidan and Deidara Suoh! Oh my God!"

Hidan waved the woman off and headed towards the exit with Deidara in tow, who waved Hinata goodbye.

"Bye Hyuuga-san!" The bluette waved back and sat down on one of the many benches. The desk woman ran outside with a fan-girl squeal.

Hinata smiled; so much had happened today. She had went and almost asked her husband for money, but then ended up pouring her heart out to him in front of his family and friends and practically crashed his engagement party then was picked up by some of Japan's most eligible bachelors, who offered to help give her bail-money.

_What a crazy day. _She wasn't upset though. This day would be marked as one of the best days she's had since Sasuke's cheating way's were brought to the media.

Hinata giggled and waited. It was silent in the lobby; the only noise present was the ticking of the clock on the wall opposite to the girl. The girl's eyes softened as bitter memories resurfaced.

_I remember how that sound felt..._

* * *

_The clock ticked twelve that night. I remember sitting there in my wedding dress, waiting for him to come back from his meeting with Uchiha Corporation. The reception had ended at seven; I waited five hours._

_My suitcase remained untouched. My hair, that had once been pressed and perfect, was now a mass of thick curls that came from the heat of the fireplace. I sighed and stood up, gripping the white silk and lace of the gown and walked into the bedroom._

_I walked past the cherry blossom covered bed into the bathroom. I didn't want to think about _that._I was nervous and afraid. Would it hurt the first time? Would it be enjoyable? Would he want to?_

_I looked at the clock in the bathroom; 1:00 a.m. Six hours. My eyes met my reflection in the mirror. I looked fragile and like a child. I knew I should have worn makeup. But could it make my face look older than fifteen? I glared at my reflection in the long mirror and looked down at my body. I was seventeen, but the age showed nothing. Nothing; puberty was not even there. Is that why he left? Am I too young?_

_I unzipped my dress from the side and watched it fall down to my ankles. My body was too young and undeveloped; my chest was too small, my hips too small. Not enough to satisfy a man like Sasuke._

_Sasuke.._

_The front door opened and I found myself quickly stepping out of the dress and pulling on the lily bathrobe on the rack and walked into the bedroom. His footsteps sounded down the hall. Each step made my heart speed up. I ran my hand through my hair only for it to get tangled in the mass of indigo. His footsteps ceased once the doorknob twisted. I tightened my bathrobe and waited for him to come in. The door opened and revealed Sasuke in all of his glory. He didn't have on his tuxedo; a black hoodie and dark jeans replaced the formal attire. His dark eyes glanced around the room before meeting my white orbs. I started to shiver as his eyes roamed my figure, critiquing every flaw in it._

"_W-Welcome home, S-Sasuke." He continued to stare at me before turning away and sitting on the bed._

"_I can't.",muttered the handsome man in disgust. I looked at him in disbelief for the first time. _

"_W-What?"_

_He sighed tiredly as if I had asked him this question many times. He started to remove his hoodie but hesitated before doing so. I gasped at the sight of hickies all over his neck. _

"_I am not what others consider a 'faithful man'. I have flaws; everyone does.", he looked over his shoulder at me. "I may not be a faithful man, but I will never admit to cheating on you." My vision started to get blurry. I started to shake with sobs soon at his revelation._

"_I love you, Hinata. No one can change that." Liar. Liar liar liar. He doesn't love me. If he did, he wouldn't have done what he did. He stood and walked towards me. I tried to step back, but he gripped my shoulders in place. _

"_Look at me Hinata." I slowly met his gaze. His obsidian eyes smothered me. My heart skipped a beat._

"_It was a mistake. It will never happen again." I couldn't help myself. I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him. I was sad, I wanted to scream. But I didn't, I just stood there. I soon blacked out, but not before hearing his phone ring._

_The next morning when I woke up, the bed was empty beside me. That's when the cycle started to occur...~_

"Hinata!", screeched the brunette, which knocked Hinata out of her horrible daze. Before Hinata could respond, Tenten was squeezing the girl in a bear hug.

The girls cried, laughed, and cried some more. There lives were changing drastically for each of them, yet they tried to stay strong.

The janitor that night smiled gently at the scene before him. Hinata felt eyes on her and when she turned his way, he disappeared.

* * *

_One Month Later..._

"Don't be ridiculous, little brother.", said the elder Uchiha brother as he gracefully put down the thick contract. Sasuke leaned back in the big, cushion office chair and eyed his older brother. Just by looking into his eyes, Itachi knew that Sasuke was pissed, but about what though?

Uchiha had reached its peak in the last thirteen years, passing major companies such as Fujioka Enterprises and Mohoka Helberts. It was now one of the top thirteen companies in the world, tying in the 13th place with Sabaku. Right at this moment, Sasuke was now the 25th richest man in the world, right under Itachi, and the 4th richest _young_ man in the world. Why would he want more?

"In order to have full access to the company, I need all shares. The members of the Uchiha clan have already given me theirs except you, and we both know that you hate to be the odd one in the bunch." Itachi smirked at his dark humor.

"To be honest, I quite favor being the one to stand out." Sasuke looked back down at his desk and started documenting other shares that he had while being attentive to the conversation.

"I notice. That commoner Hana Inuzuka seems to make the notion complete. Tell me again, big brother, why you would choose to be with someone so beneath you?" Itachi's once mocking eyes turned cold at his little brother's gesture. He could put up with the immature Uchiha talking about the Akatsuki and anyone else, but when it came to Hana, things changed.

**"**Unlike you, _little brother_, I feel that quality is much more consistent than the fame and how many I can gave, which is why my past and current relationships have lasted much longer than any of yours have and ever will." Obsidian eyes bore into annoyed, crimson ones. Something was up with Sasuke; definitely.

"In conclusion, my personal life is not of your concern." Sasuke glared at the other Uchiha in resentment. Itachi looked back, his eyes holding mockery.

"Is there something on your mind, little brother?" The tension in the room ceased when Sasuke let loose his inner feelings.

**"**What the hell was that Hyuuga doing at Sabaku-Akatsuki Design meeting last month ?" Itachi smirked at his childishness.

Even though the Uchiha corporation was in the lead, they could easily be knocked down by the Sabaku's. With the Infamous Akatsuki teaming up with the Sabaku's, they could prove to be unbeatable.

The younger Uchiha clenched his teeth. _With that damn Akatsuki, who knows._

"**"**My business outside of Uchiha also of not your concern." Sasuke slammed his hands on his mahogany desk. He was fed up.

"When you're working under my establishment, it is Itachi." Itachi then stood and faced him.

"What are you going to do, Sasuke? Fire me?", Itachi smirked in fascination. " If anything, I should be the one making the ultimatums around here since mother and father did entrust Uchiha to me."

Silence enveloped the room for a slight moment; Sasuke soon sat down in his seat and swirled the chair around; Itachi sighed once again at the amount of childishness that Sasuke had succumbed to. This wasn't the first time Sasuke acted out; it had been on several occasions that he and Sasuke had been together when his little fits happened.

"Whatever. Why the hell did I even ask you?" The elder Uchiha chuckled.

**"**Probably because I have a venture with Akatsuki, Sabaku and Uchiha . Did you think I would really tell you about what my ideas for Sabaku? If you did, that really says that you think family comes before business."

**"**Any _normal _headed person would, but that just can't be the case for you. You always have your fucking hand in everything." Sasuke glared at Itachi. " You can't be in the middle, Itachi. One day you'll have to choose,_ Uchiha or Sabaku_, that's the real question here." Itachi sighed and shook his head, glaring at the contract on the desk.

**"**This was never a problem before. I am assuming that this revelation of my current standards has come about because of your current obsession in finding out about your soon-to-be-ex-wife's whereabouts." Sasuke turned around at this point and pulled up to his desk. Her gave Itachi a deadly glare.

"If I wanted to find out about Hinata I would have done so ages ago. I'm more concerned about what Gaara plans on doing with her." Itachi raised his eyebrow in question.

"You've done enough damage to her already. You need to stop this."

"Stop what, Itachi?"

"You've already gotten what you wanted out of her. Hyuuga Corporation is now under Neji, her inheritance is gone, and she no longer is relevant to the media as of now." Itachi gave Sasuke a blank look before speaking his last words.

"It's as if she doesn't exist anymore." Sasuke looked unconvinced.

"You never know though. She's like a rash that just keeps popping up. And with Gaara and that sneaky Deidara Suoh around her, she'll pop up more quickly than expected." Itachi stood up, not wanting to be bothered by his stubborn little brother anymore.

**"**The underdogs always win, Sasuke. You've put yourself in a bad position that I'm afraid I can't save you from this time. Don't bother me anymore this week if it's about this inconsequent proposition of yours." Itachi pointed at the portrait before taking his leave.

Sasuke let his eyes wonder over to the man in the picture. His father's stern face was there alongside his mother. He sighed before almost rolling his eyes. _How dare Itachi treat me like a child. I should have made everyone vote against his ass. _His eyes softened in disappointment. _Not as if that would have made a difference though..._

"Che, whatever." The door to the office opened unexpectedly. The prodigy had finally come over after his long day of casing a prisoner.

Shikamaru looked over his shoulder before jutting his thumb out in the older Uchiha's desolate place.

"I guess that the festive environment in the building isn't enough to stop the Uchihas from steaming up another problem." Sasuke shrugged and motioned for the Nara to sit down.

"Any news from Naruto yet?" Shikamaru sighed and grabbed a chair.

"Negative. He says that he'll need another week in France to trace her down, but he says that he won't exceed that one week dead line." Sasuke nodded.

"You have a plan for the court case yet?" Shikamaru leaned back in the chair and rubbed his forehead.

"I have a plan, but it's 'iffy' and I need your consent before passing it on-"

"I trust that you have my best interest in mind, Nara." Shikamaru looked off for a moment in deep thought, his once comfortable posture turning straight and rigid. His lawyer self was present now.

"Ino's going to make the Hyuuga testify against you for infidelity for sure. Here's the part I've been contemplating on." Sasuke sat back in his seat waiting for the Nara's answer.

"Ino might place you under domestic violence also." Shikamaru looked skeptically at Sasuke before resuming.

"Have you ever hit and/or beat Hinata Hyuuga-Uchiha during your two years of marriage?"

* * *

The hot summer air was apparent around the city. Everyone had their sunglasses and tanning lotions in their bags, and some planned out trips for the summer. Hinata sighed and turned up the radio station. Her white eyes looked up at a passing billboard; the beautiful Sakura Haruno was plastered in a bikini on the board under the big name, _Fire Phoenix Swimwear. _Hinata quickly looked down and stared at her lap._ The Uchiha line for sure._

"Ha! _Fire Phoenix,_what a lame name! Am I right?", laughed the blonde in uncertainty as she eyed the majestic billboard in silent fascination.

"Ino." The blonde turned he head slightly towards the bluette. Hinata remained looking down.

"Do y-you think I could compete with S-Sakura in any kind of category?"

Ino gawked at the girl. "Of course you could, Hinata! Sure, there would be some that she would exceed in, but I'm pretty sure that you would win overall."

"So I can't beat her in the husband category, can I?" Ino became silent with those crushing words. The topic suddenly switched from clothes to relationships. A rhetorical question that didn't need an answer.

Sakura had won that catergory. Ino snorted. _Category for best man-stealing definitely goes to Sakura Haruno._

Ino stopped the car and looked at Hinata with a bit of uncertainty at the girl's actions. It was six o'clock in the morning and Hinata was starting her first day of work at the little diner that she had been interviewed at. Fortunately, many people did not know who she was, so right now she could work without being attacked my paparazzi all the time. Ino thought otherwise though.

**"**Are you sure you want to work?", said that blonde as she frowned at the entrance of the dirty little diner. " You don't have too. I have more than enough to take care of the both of us." Hinata shook her head before straightening out her uniform; a white blouse with a pink apron dress. So plain. _So me.._

""I-I have to fend for myself, Ino. I can't a-always depend on people to help me." Ino sighed before looking at the nervous girl.

**"**Is this about what happened last month, Hinata? Konan told you before, Akatsuki are pleasant people. You're not a bother to me or them. Well, maybe Sasori, but everyone's a bother to him." The bluette once again shook her head and met Ino's gaze.

"If it w-wasn't for them, Tenten would still be in jail. Don't y-you understand, Ino? Everyone helps me out and takes care of me, but I can't even help out a friend who has been by my side always. I-I'm a hindrance." The blonde was silent.

"T-That is why I'm taking this job. I want m-my independence back." Hinata got out of the car and waved Ino goodbye before running into the building. Ino remained for a while and suddenly smiled.

"She's growing up so fast.

* * *

**SO SORRY IF THIS CHAPTER SEEMS RUSHED! Pls forgive me. Soo... I lied about the court case being this chapter. I realized that the court happens like in four to six months after it is set, so that's how I plan on doing it now! SO sorry! Thank you all for your continued support. I'll correct errors later, as always! ;) Oh..**

**REVIEW! ;)**


	9. Chapter 8: Breaking Down

_**Chapter 8: Breaking Down**_

**Never forget what people say to you when they're angry-that's when the truth comes** **out **_- Unknown_

Hinata exhaled before pushing open the rutty door of the old diner. She was nervous; how would the first day be? The diner was named after the famous little stand that stood in this direct location, Ichiraku's Ramen. It once was a Japanese inspired diner, now it served many different cultures all over Japan and it was widely known for not only it's old design, but for its history of famous people.

_I just hope no one 'famous' comes here.._Once the girl stepped inside, the delicious smell hit her. Her eyes widened and her eyes drooped into a calm gazed. She knew that smell; it was something sugary and full of cinnamon. _Cinnamon Buns._

"Hinata, get your butt over here!", yelled a young waitress that Hinata had seen during her interview. The girl rushed into the locker room in the back of the restaurant, her white shoes squeaking on the marble floors.

Once in the room, Hinata was met with the sight of many women dressing for their job. The bluette blushed when she saw the one of the women removing her shirt. Hinata had never changed in front of anyone besides her mother, and that was twelve years ago. These women here were making her nervous. Hinata folded her arms. _Thank God I decided to dress in my uniform._Hinata walked towards one of the women, Ayame.

Ayame tied her apron around her thick waist and looked at the nervous girl.

"I'm glad that you made it here early.", she smiled at Hinata before motioning the girl to follow her into the kitchen. Once Hinata stepped into the kitchen, she was hit with the delicous smell again. Her mouth started to water as Ayame brought her to the little stand that held the little treats. The brunette pointed towards the treats.

"This will be your chore for today. Take the stand to that stand over there, which will be your station. I figure that since you are sweet and innocent that this will be the perfect job for you!" Ayame smiled at the girl before leaving her to her job.

_You don't know how wrong you are._, thought the girl as she gazed lovingly at the frosted coated treats. She suddenly shook her head. _No. I can't! I have the willpower!_Hinata quickly picked up the treats and rushed them over to her station. It was definitely going to be a long day.

* * *

"I left Akatsuki for several reasons Pein, and no, it was not for that black lawyer from Lagos...okay, maybe it was, but it was for a good cause.", said Konan as she popped the trunk of her car and put her briefcase inside of it. She sighed as listened to the loud voice over the phone.

"Are you 'yelling' or are you 'talking' to me you soulless mortal?...You know what, screw you in the balls, Pein.", Konan sighed before ending the call. She would be back in the Akatsuki by the end of the week.

While Pein considered it 'quitting', Konan considered her break from the Akatsuki just that, a break. Every month she would take a week off from working side by side with them and then pop back up. During her time period, Pein would call and call; if she didn't answer right away, he would be waiting outside of her house with a deadly aura. He would then proceed to ask her where she was and 'who she was with' when he knew she was at McDonald's waiting in line.

Konan cranked up the car and sighed once again. "Maybe I shouldn't have hung up on him. The neighbors just got back from their cruise, and I have to change the sheets in the guest room." The grey-eyed woman looked both ways before pulling off into the interstate, still thinking of the bipolar man. "The couch will have to do then."

The road ahead was filled with cars; Konan cursed under her breath. This was a bad sign. A traffic jam was about to occur and she was stuck in the middle of it. She sighed. _I guess that mcmuffin will have to wait...I wonder does McDonald's sell them at 12:00 pm._Konan let go of the steering wheel. There was nothing she could do but wait.

"This is what I get for being such a pig. Maybe that dumb blonde was right about me being a fatty." Konan turned on the radio hoping to listen to her rock music in peace.

**"_Good morning folks! The time is 10:15 am and you're here with Japan's number one radio station. The trending topic besides Japan's small earthquake is Deidara Suoh, who knocked the soon-to-be s Sasuke and Sakura off their number one spot on the most trended. It is reported that he will go to France soon to collaborate with a female singer on a single. Aira? Queen Guton? Jessy? Man, I'm going crazy here! I didn't even know this guy could sing! Will there ever be a stop to this guys?! You can't be handsome, rich, and have a tune right? Oh man, I'm sure who ever it is he's collaborating with, that song is sure to be a hit. Today's question: Do you think that Deidara knows what he's doing, or should he just stick to business?"_**

Konan stood still for a moment. France?

She beeped at the other cars to speed up. "I swear to God and to Hidan's Jashin that if these mortals don't hurry up, I'll bury their very souls in my back yard and cover it with Mr. Ruffle's kitty litter."

**(^^)**

Hinata whimpered as she took the money from the customer in exchange for the cinnamon bun, whichmade customers look and stare at her. She nervously looked at the crystal box which held the treats. She had to refill the case about six times already; she was on her last case now with only seven remaining. The bluette looked at other girls' stands; some sold sandwiches, ramen, and other cultural foods. She had the dessert section which contained a lot of desserts, but the main thing that the people were getting were her precious cinnamon rolls.

Hinata stared at the business lady that entered through the door with wide eyes in an attempt to scare the woman from coming over and buying the treat. She trembled from the smell that was quickly leaving with each bun sold. She looked over at the grand clock behind herself; it read 12:25 pm. _Only five minutes till break! _A happy expression lit the girl's face.

"Excuse me ma'am, but how much is that cinnamon bun right there?", said a squeaky voice that she had known for so long. She quickly turned around and was met with the childish face of Tenji. He was still looking at the bun, hunger in his lavender eyes. She took this time to study him quickly.

He looked alright, but different. His usual ponytail was now hanging down his back, which made him look more like a girl. Hinata looked close at his face. Not a stratch on him. The only thing that bothered Hinata was that his eyes carried a sense of sadness in them. _Sadness from his mom not being with him._Tenten was not allowed to see her son at this moment, so she too had carried a sense of sadness in her eyes. The bluette sighed. _Everything's falling apart..._

"I-It's on the house." Hinata opened the case and grabbed the precious bun before setting it on the counter. She heard a gasp.

"HINATA! IT'S REALLY YOU!", screamed the child in delight as he literally jumped around the counter into the girl's arms. He snuggled his face into her chest and gripped her tightly.

"I missed you and mom! Is mom still in jail? Where is mommy, Hinata?" Hinata smiled down at him.

"Your mommy is at a friend's house right now. I pray that you will see her soon." Tenji looked up at her with relief in his eyes before reaching in his private school jacket and pulling out a note.

"Give this to mommy for me. I have to go." The note was shoved in her hand and he was gone just as fast as he came, the cinnamon bun gone with him. Hinata looked around for the boy and found him standing off at a distance beside Kin and Neji at an American food stand. She gripped the note in her hand before putting it into her apron.

_How could Neji do such a thing? Depriving a mother from her child is just wrong!_

"Hinata, go on your break now! You look like you're about to pass out.", said Ayame as she cleaned some tables nearby. Hinata broke her trance and nodded before grabbing the five cinnamon buns out the case and running to a table. Hopefully Ayame would close the girl's stand down for her.

The former Hyuuga heir decided to sit next to the window on the other side of the room away from Neji. She wanted to enjoy her buns in peace, not worry about her cynical cousin and most of all, Sasuke. The girl carefully bit into the bun and sighed in delight as the taste entered her mouth. It had been awhile since she had tasted her favorite treat. All she had eaten since the 'Sasuke proposal' thing was pizza and cookies. And popcorn, lots and lots of popcorn. She started on her second bun.

"You know, for someone who is supposed to be modeling a clothing line in the fall, you're definitely contradicting that notion, un." Hinata almost choked on her bun as Deidara's smooth voice interrupted her feast. He pulled up a chair across from the girl and smirked.

Hinata smiled faintly at the blonde man. "I-It's summer break. I-I think that I can lose the e-extra weight before fall.", muttered the girl before she reached for her third cinnamon bun. Deidara grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer to him, the table being the only thing keeping her from falling onto him. She gulped as his blue eyes pierced her own lavender ones.

"Not if I have to measure you now, un. We don't need you 'gaining' and 'losing'; we need a permanent weight for you." He let go of her wrist and started to scan her for a minute. Hinata looked down at her lap nervously; she wanted her cinnamon bun despite what he said. Her head popped up at scattering feet coming in their direction.

A waiter stood beside the table. It was one of the women Hinata had seen in the locker room. The bluette looked enviously at the women; she was 6'2 with long black hair and violet eyes. Her body was thin, much of how a model would look. Hinata started to wonder why someone as gorgeous as her was doing working in a diner. The waitress smiled at Hinata and looked to Deidara for his order.

"How may I help you, sir?" Deidara looked up at the woman and gave her a dazzling smile before saying 'Bakudan, un.' When the girl walked away, Hinata turned towards Deidara.

"W-Why don't you consider her as the new model? I'm sure she w-would be perfect for the j-job." The blonde man glanced in the girl's direction before setting his gaze back to her, an aloof look in his eyes.

"One of the requirements of being a model is having confidence. I'll have to give you an X in the box for that and also for that stuttering. That's going to have to go before you can even consider talking in front of the press." Hinata flinched at his sudden change in tone. He sighed and leaned forward.

"Look Hinata, I'm not trying to be harsh or anything, but you need to grow up. I don't fully understand what went on between you and Uchiha, and I really don't care, but you can't wallow in shame over what he's done to you. It's corrupting you. All you can do now is move on." Hinata glared at the man. How dare he but into her personal life. He didn't know what she went through; no one did. She had a right to act the way she wanted, right?

"You're r-right, you don't u-understand what happened, and you n-never will. I'm not thinking about Sasuke. Not at all." Venom was in the girl's voice, but Deidara didn't stand down.

"Your body language and your actions tell me that you still aren't over him. And that's pathetic." His words cut through her deeply. "I'm not asking you to curl your feelings up inside of you; I'm asking you to let him and your problems go. All of your stress needs to be focused towards representing Sabaku and Akatsuki, not over that bratty Uchiha who left you." Irritation was in his voice, which made Hinata flinch even more than last time. The waitress from before brought the food to Deidara and bowed before scurrying to another table.

Deidara looked in the waitress's direction again. "This is the first time that a waitress hasn't hovered over me. I'm definitely making this place my home, un." _Damn_, thought Hinata as she watched him eat.

He was acting like they never had the conversation. Hinata ignored the left over buns and looked out the window.

The blonde's words wounded her in a way. She didn't like to be called out on something she didn't want to think of. Even thought it hurt her, what he said was true. She wasn't over Sasuke, especially since his engagement party. She wanted this all to be a dream, a bad dream where she would wake up from. Hinata clutched the ended of the table.

But would she really want this all to be a dream? If it was, she would have to return back to being the virgin wife that followed after her husband even though he slept around. To be looked at in disgust by the women in the Uchiha building when she brought Sasuke lunch. To eat dinner alone and clean the house. To stay up late at night waiting for him, wondering how _it _felt? Her heart sped up at the last thought.

Deidara's phone rang on the table and he quickly looked at the caller before answering it. Hinata looked up in curiosity as a stern look crossed his face.

"Avez-vous vu la mère encore ? Est-ce que… je, vous voyez pouvez dire qui il la dépiste en bas… d'Uzumaki ? … Oui oui veuillez, observez-les. Vous êtes une bonne personne pour ceci… vous remerciez tellement. Au revoir." Hinata stared in amazement at him, all of her hurt going out the window.

Deidara resumed eating after ending the call, an emotionless gaze appearing in his eyes. Hinata looked curiously at the phone before looking back up at him.

"I-I didn't know you c-could speak f-french." Deidara stopped eating and met the girl's eyes. She shivered at his gaze once again. A little bit of nervousness in his blue eyes struck her as odd.

"Well, I am part french, un. I think that it is required among the Suoh family." Hinata giggled and looked at the clock. 1:04 was on it. She looked around for Ayame, but the girl was no where in sight.

"S-So...who w-was that on the phone?" Hinata mentally hit herself in the head when Deidara arched an eyebrow at her. _What the hell am I thinking? I'm trying to be his friend, not an obsessive grandmother._

A chuckle from the blonde erased the tension. "Well that was awkward. Sorry babe, but I don't jump into relationships that fast." He smirked at her and leaned forward. "I like to take it a bit slow, if you know what I mean." Hinata blushed furiously and turned her head, which earned another chuckle form Deidara.

"I-I didn't mean i-it that way, I just-!"

"What a surprise to see you here, Hinata-sama." Hinata paled at the vemon-fulled voice that greeted her. She looked up at the man that she hoped to avoid. She looked up and was met with the tall and graceful figure of her dear cousin, Neji Hyuuga. Tenji cluctched the man's hand sadly as Kin looked at her with a surprised gaze. Hinata gulped.

"H-Hello, N-Neji-nii-san."

* * *

Sakura smiled at the white gown that was shown to her. It was tight at the top and flowed out at the bottom. _Perfect._

"I love it! It would go great with the bridesmaid dresses that I picked out." The beautiful rosette turned towards her fiance. "What do you think, Sasuke?" The Uchiha shrugged before boringly looking at one of the tuxedos that were handed to him. Sakura frowned slightly at the man before looking at the woman.

"I would like to try this on please." The woman lead the pinkette to one of the many changing rooms before leaving her there. Sakura sighed before sitting down heavily on one of the benches in the room.

It was tough being in the limelight all day. People watched and judged her daily, some even calling her a home she felt that it wasn't her fault Sakura gazed sadly at the wedding dress. _I'm not the only one that did wrong. Sasuke isn't scotch-free either, so why is no one pointing the accusing finger at him. He wanted to be with me first, he came on to me first. So why is everyone being one-sided? _Sakura angrily snatched up the dress and started to put it on but stopped.

It had sounded like Sasuke's voice outside. Sakura squinted her green eyes. She moved closer to the door and tried to hear.

"Your mission was a success?...That's good Naruto, but I think that you should take an early flight here...Scratch that then. I'll get on one of my jets and met you there. Sure, I'll bring the rest along." Sakura jumped away from the door and slipped into the dress. She didn't want to take too long, it might seem suspicious.

Sakura looked in the mirror and made a calm-like face before stepping out of the dressing room. She twirled in front of the Uchiha and stopped, a serene smile on her face.

"What do you think?" Sasuke smirked and stood. Sakura tensed a little when he wrapped his long arms around her but quickly relaxed into his hold. They both stared at the full body mirror.

"I think that I'm the luckiest man in the world."He kissed her bare shoulder and looked down at her. Sakura continued to stare into the mirror. The man dominated her height and his dark looks contrasted with her bright looks. They looked stunning together. Sakura looked up at Sasuke and was met with his soft lips.

_What are you planning, Sasuke? _Sakura thought as she gripped Sasuke's arm tight and let his demonic spell take over her body.

**(^^)**

Konan marched into the elevator and waited as several other people got in before pressing the tenth floor button. Some of the people in the elevator groaned, as their floor was on a lower level. She ignored them as she tapped her gothic boots impatiently. Another groan and a curse was heard from someone else, which made Konan put her hands on her hips in an attempt to keep them from smashing skulls. _Only one more ding and then I'll be there.._

Konan snapped as another sigh was heard. She turned towards one of the men in the elevator with fire in her eyes.

"If I hear one more fucking sound from you, I'll be standing outside your window singing to the demons." The man's eyes widened at the unexpected response; Konan simply walked off the elevator and down the hall of the condominium. Her heels sounded in a rhythmic pattern. _10B 10B_...

She abruptly stopped at one of the doors and knocked on it hurriedly. After her fifth knock, Konan grew impatient.

"Thank God I have on my boots today." Doors from the down the hall started opening at the sound of the girl trying to kick the door in. Before the third kick, the door opened.

Sasori's shirtless figure and wet-hair stood in the doorway, a slight frown on his flawless face.

"Sorry, but crazy ladies can only come after nine pm. I don't have enough condoms for all the rounds you want." Konan pushed back his face and stepped inside the condo.

She looked around for the blonde. "Where's Deidara?" Sasori went into one of the bedrooms and came back out with pajama bottoms and a t-shirt. He shrugged and jumped on the sofa.

"He said that he was going out for some bakudan, but that was hours ago." Konan gripped her hair in frustration of missing the blonde.

**"**I'm assuming that you didn't hear the news going around about him taking off to waltz in France."Sasori turned on the wide screen and turned it on a cooking channel. Konan grimaced at the tall puppet hanging from the wall beside her and quickly went to the opposite side of the room. _Creepy._

"I heard, but what can I do about it? He's a grown man with his own decisions."

"How is he going to complete the designs for the line in time for the meeting on Thursday?" The red-head sighed and turned fully to Konan.

"I. Don't. Know. Do I look like a girl with a dick to you?" Sasori wore a pissed look on his delicate face. "I told Gaara to assign me as the designer, but he insisted that _Deidara_ do it. No blood on my hands though." Konan shook her head and sunk into the lazy boy beside the sofa. She knew that Sasori was still pissed about not being picked as the designer. She glared at the redhead. _What the hell is he complaining about._ Gaara appointed him as his right hand man_. _Can you guess why?

"This is an utter disaster in the making. He won't get anything done in France with the song making and all." The gothic woman sighed before rubbing her ear. "We can't screw this up; this is Akatsuki's first full meeting with the other members of Sabaku. The elders will want something solid and that can justify itself. The drawings are a huge part of the meeting."

Sasori changed the channel. "Why not ask Kisame to do it? He doesn't seem that busy." Konan glared at the thought of Kisame.

**"**Kisame is gone, remember- the niche thing." The hazel-eyed man smirked at Konan and lied back on the couch.

"Looks like we have to trust him then. Deidara never fell in his work before, I'm pretty sure that he's responsible enough to know a deadline. Relax Konan." Konan exhaled and looked at Sasori with a faint smile. Sasori smirked at her and returned to watching the cooking show. The woman was cooking cinnamon buns.

"Wow, those look kinda good.", muttered Sasori as Konan watched the show with hunger also. She then realized something. The woman turned towards Sasori, who had a questioning look on his face from her actions. She screeched in suprise.

"Wait, Deidara can sing?"

* * *

**HOW WAS IT? Was it too short? Sorry if it's random and has some spelling errors, I just wanted to give you all a gift! I want to thank my new and old reviewers for always reviewing and reading my stories! I love you all so freaking much! YOU GUYS ROCK! THIS IS DEDICATED TO ALL OF YOU! MAKE SURE YOU REVIEW! JA NE!**


	10. Chapter 9: Confrontations and Confession

_**Chapter 9: Confrontations and** **Confessions**_

_**Honesty is the rarest wealth anyone can possess, and yet all the honesty in the world ain't lawful tender for a loaf of bread. **__~Josh Billings_

"N-Neji-nii-san.", stuttered the waitress nervously. She was feeling light-headed at the moment; the worst situation was about occur, something that she had prayed would never happen. MGC versus Akatsuki.

Deidara looked towards Neji with mild interest on his sun-kissed face. Hinata could see a small smirk form on his lips, which made her anxiousness increase. Even though she had only just met him twice, Hinata could tell that he wasn't the type to sit back and let anyone have their way. She saw the way his cerulean eyes danced in annoyance at her earlier and how he expressed how he felt about her holding on to her feelings about her soon-to-be-ex, Sasuke._This won't be good_, thought the bluette as she looked between the two men.

Neji glanced at Deidara before turning his fiery gaze back on Hinata.

"I would have never thought that you would bounce back so quickly from that little toulse with Sasuke, Hinata-sama. Seems like I underestimated you.", his voice was calm. Kin even flinched a little at his inflicting tone.

Hinata bowed her head in shame. Of course that's how it looked! Here she was, in a restaurant with a handsome and wealthy guy, who just so _happened_to be the rival of her husband, talking and laughing about certain matters. And it didn't make it any better that they were seated beside a window where anyone could see the blonde and her(not that many people would know who she was right now, which was fortunate).

Deidara snorted at the Hyuuga-heir. "Please Hyuuga, think with your head and not that overly expressive ego of yours. Petty things such as that is underneath me, which is exactly why you think that way." Neji glared at Deidara with malice.

"Are you suggesting that my expertise is beneath a rookie such as yourself?" Hinata held her head in her hands as insults were being thrown. The people in the restaurant started to sashay away from their place in line to look and realize that some of the most successful business men were in a heated argument. Along with the acknowledgment came picture cameras and phone calls to relatives or friends about them meeting famous people.

The blonde looked at Neji with challenge in his eyes. "If that's what you're implying, then yes, I do think that you and partners could never even think to touch me in what I do, un." _Ouch_, thought Hinata. She didn't have to look at her cousin to see that he was seething. No one had the _guts _to tell the prodigy Neji that he wasn't up-to-par with the business. If one had even thought to say or think such things, people would retaliate and bring up the Hyuuga's history and experience.

Neji was involved in many community issues during his four years at Sarutobi Private Institute, a prestigious private school that only provided for geniuses of the future. He created the Konohaian Bachelor Organization, a highly appreciated organization that involved every rich guy 25 and under who were still in college or starting their careers. The organization provided the poor with housing, financial support, and most of all, support from the community. It strived to even reach the president and dictators of other large countries, which thus made many business owners jump at the chance to hold a share in Hyuuga Corps once the conniving Neji took over. This brilliant idea earned Neji the Young Geniuses of Excellence Award at the high school.

He was not alone however. Sasuke, Naruto, and even the lazy Shikamaru paved a way for themselves. After Neji graduated, the trio started to take over Sarutobi Private. The Uchiha and Uzumaki dominated every sport and leadership youth club there was, Sasuke as Captain and Naruto right at his side as Co-Captain. Shikamaru took over every spot in academics; he scored high in all subjects, even the International World Physics Test that was held at the prestigious school every year. At the end of their Senior Year, they graduated with high honors (even the obnoxious Uzumaki); Shikamaru and Sasuke being tied in Valedictorian and Naruto being Salutatorian, beating Sakura Haruno by exactly .05 in overall average.

The Hyuuga started to work side by side with Hiashi and soon became the old man's appretince. After highschool, Sasuke jumped right into business with his older brother at UchihaCorporation; Nara went to lawschool for one year and became a lawyer, and Uzumaki started his quest on becoming Hokage in the upper divison of Japan, Konoha.

Did Deidara really think that they were below him? Hinata didn't know his background, but she knew that he had to have had_ many _accomplishments in his young life.

"Do not underestimate me, Suoh. You will be greatly disappointed in the results of it." Kin briskly grabbed Neji's jacket to catch his attention from the deviously smirking man. "We shouldn't keep the Obstetrician waiting." Neji glanced at her before turning back to Hinata.

"Watch your back Hinata. It won't be long before they reopen the wound that Sasuke has printed on you." With that, he turned and walked out the door with Kin by his side. Hinata jealously looked at his knee-length hair as it swooshed out the door with bounce and shine. She hated to admit it, but not only was her cousin evil, but he was devilishly good-looking, which made people overlook his demonic ways and personality. _Speaking of good-looking..._

Deidara was still smirking, particularly at her. She smiled shyly back at her and looked at the clock on the wall. 1:30! She had missed thirty minutes of her shift. She panically jumped up and ran into the supply closet for a broom and a dust-pan. She didn't want to be doing nothing; she needed the money for the apartment she planned on getting.

The mousy girl strutted back to the table section to see that her companion was gone, dollars and change left on the two-sitter table. She suddenly became upset. Deidara had been the first person whom she had had a full conversation with, if you consider being patronized and told what to do apart of a normal and concise conversation. It was sad to see him gone, without a goodbye even. The girl sighed and sat down in the chair he was sitting in while putting the broom and dust-pan against a wall. A faint scent of his husky cologne was still in the air.

"Excuse me, but are you Hinata by chance.", asked a soft, feathery voice. Hinata quickly looked up from her drooping position into violet eyes. It was the waitress that Hinata had thought of as a model. The beauty gave her a serene smile when the bluette nodded, and pulled an envelope out of her apron. Hinata grabbed the envelope from the smiling girl and gave her a questioned look.

The beauty 'Oh'ed and responded. "It is from the gentleman that was seated with you from before. He asked that I personally give it to you." Hinata looked at the note, a tint of sadness in her eyes. Did he not want to give it to her? Was he more interested in talking to the beautiful violet-eyed woman than her?

"I'm sorry to intrude, but you have very, very beautiful eyes. Are you from the Hyuuga Clan by chance?" Hinata snapped her head up at the interested girl before her. Had SHE complimented her? Usually pretty girls like this one were mean and catty. Hinata shyly nodded.

The girl looked surprised at this fact, which Hinata caught as odd.

"W-What is wrong?" The girl looked at Hinata with disbelief and curiosity.

"Sorry, but I never would have thought you were from Hyuuga." Hinata's heart clenched. Did she not even look like her on kin anymore? She asked a question that she was sure would cause her pain.

"W-Why do you say t-that?" The girl took a closer look at the nervously waiting girl.

"The Hyuugas I see on Tv have much sterner and colder eyes. Yours hold innocence and tranquility, sort of like a doll.", the girl looked deeper into her eyes, "A lavender tint...that must be rare."

The young girl pulled back and smiled once again at Hinata before running off to take another customer's order. The said girl sat still for a moment, trying to process all that had just happened. The beauty thought _she_ was beautiful in an odd and rare kind of way? The rarity of her eyes and features could be clarified though; her mother had the famous indigo locks that she now possessed, but the tint of lavender in her eyes couldn't be justified. Not even her own mother's soft, white orbs had that purplish glint.

"Hinata, your shift is over for today.", said Ayame as she picked up the broom and dust-pan and headed towards the supply closet. The bluette followed after the brunette; she wanted to apologize for the scene that the arrogant men had caused in the restaurant. She didn't want to lose this job on her first day, not when she was so close to gaining back her independence.

The shy girl breathed in inwardly before stepping into the supply closet. Ayame had put up the sweeping items and was now putting up several little boxes on the shelves. The brunette suddenly turned towards Hinata with question on her features.

" A-Ayame-san, I w-want to apologize for the incident that occurred today. My friends and c-cousin don't usually do this k-kind of thing i-" Ayame cut off the girl with an extended type of laughter.

"Apologize?! That was the best entertainment I have seen in months! People from all over will be breaking their necks trying to come here!", exclaimed Ayame as she hugged the dazed girl. She pulled back from the bluette.

"Go home and rest, kay? Make sure that you're here early: 'the early bird catches the worm!'" Ayame pulled Hinata into the kitchen and gave her a Styrofoam plate and waved her goodbye.

Hinata pulled up her ankle-length skirt and scurried into the thick traffic of people.

* * *

Hinata walked to the blonde's two-story house. It was hot outside and the thigh-length outfit that the girl donned didn't make her heat whiplash slow. She had trudged from the busy city to the neighborhoods filled with big, extravagant houses. Hinata dreaded going into her space in the basement; it would especially be hot down there. She should be grateful though, Ino was willing to give up her own bed for Hinata. Despite Ino's house only having one bedroom, it had many other rooms; there was a den, an activity room, a room for only clothes and makeup, and a room that was made into a large office for the lawyer. The bluette had chosen to go to the basement, but at this moment she was regretting not sharing the California king with the blonde.

"Oh," mutterted the girl as she reached into her pocket and pulled out the two notes given to her. One for Tenten and one for her. She carefully put Tenji's letter into her apron before opening the blonde's note.

"Diet list: salad, no dressing added, for three weeks. Run two miles everyday at 6:00 a.m...No cinnamon buns?!" Hinata crumbled up the paper before stuffing it into her apron.

Hinata sighed before looking at the driveway; it was empty which meant that the blonde was still working. Seeing this as an important time, the girl walked up to the door and looked under the mat. _Bingo._ The silver key was pushed into the lock and in with the bluette. Hinata went into the blonde's room and looked around for comfortable clothes. Among the cluster of vividly-colored business attire and lui and prada, the girl managed to find sweat pants and a white t-shirt. She dressed quickly and pulled her hair into a high ponytail before settling in front of the big screen in the living room and opening up the still steaming foam plate. The girl devoured the contents of the plate and was soon lounging on the couch watching afternoon cartoons. She felt tired, but content. It had seemed that her life had now reached a comfortable point. A giggle erupted from her throat as one of the characters on the cartoon kicked open a door.

Suddenly the telephone rang. Hinata jumped up and skipped toward the phone before pressing the answer button.

"H-Hello, Yamanaka residence. May I ask who is speaking?"

The voice over the other line laughed. _"Hi sweety!. I just wanted to call to see if you made it back from work."_ Hinata relaxed at the voice of Ino._ "So, how was it?"_

"H-Horrible. Deidara and Neji-nii-san showed up at the s-same time." Ino screamed on the other end of the phone

"_Oh my God, What happened?!" _Hinata plopped on the couch, exhausted and not really feeling good enough to talk about them.

"I'll t-tell you later. Anyway, where are y-you?"

"_Welllll, I was just with Gaara discussing your contract..."_ Hinata nervously stood up and started to pace.

"N-Not this a-again.", muttered the girl.

"_Well, I do have to make sure everything's in tip-top shape, don't I? Konan can't do everything, especially with Pein dropping in and out bothering the poor girl!" "Who's that on the phone?""Hina-chan." "Tell her to be here on Thursday. No exceptions."_

Hinata gripped her head in distress. "I-I heard Ino."

"_Stupid Panda-chan, always bringing his smexy little self into people's conversations!" "That's disturbing.."_

Hinata then thought of an idea to get the girl off the phone. "Guess what was worse then Deidara and Neji though!"

"_Oh my God, what?!"_

"Everyone kept coming over to get the cinnamon buns!"The line went quiet for a minute.

"_Let in the cleaning lady."_ The phone was hung up on the other line, which made the bluette laugh.

The doorbell rang and Hinata skipped up to the mahogany doors. Maybe she could assist the cleaning lady today since she had nothing else to do.

Hinata quickly unlocked and opened the door before going into the kitchen. She picked up the trash that littered the counter and threw it into the garbage bin, a slight smile on her face. She saw an envelope on the counter also. It had the Konoha symbol on it; most likely for divorce court.

Hinata heard the door close in the living room; the maid must of been starting on the living room first. The bluette grabbed a garbage bag box and started opening it while going into the front room.

She fumbled with the box and spoke. "I-I hope you don't mind, but I think i-it would be better if I helped you o-out."

"That won't be necessary.", spoke a deep, alluring voice. Hinata looked up and met with obsidian eyes that were on the verge of turning red. The plastic box dropped from her hand as she gasped. Sasuke stood in the room, an emotionless expression plastered on his gorgeous face.

Hinata took a few steps back. "W-What are you doing here?" Her fear increased as she noticed that his eyes were now a full red and that a small smirk was on his face. She noticed that he was dressed casually; nothing but a black shirt and jeans; his attire made him look like a hot college frat boy. _To bad that isn't true.._

"You invited me in.", muttered the Uchiha as he scanned the house. His gaze then turned back to Hinata. "I wanted to talk to you." _More like destroy me..._ thought the girl as she folded her arms across her large buds and averted her eyes to her socks, praying inwardly that his sultry voice didn't have _that_ effect on her.

"I-I don't think t-that is a good i-idea, Sasuke.", stated the girl. She couldn't believe that she had been so clueless as to not look out the peep hole before opening the door! Anyone could have come in and stolen the blonde's items. She heard him 'tch' before hearing a lock being twisted. Her eyes darted up at the sound. Sasuke started to stalk towards the girl.

She stood still despite her legs aching to run at the suspense of his demented drawl towards her. This was the first, no, _second_ time they had met since he proclaimed his love for Sakura. The first time she had came to him, now he was coming to her, which struck the oblivious girl as odd. Sasuke would never track down anyone unless he was really pissed about their involvement in his life or Uchiha. Did her showing up at the engagement anger him? Did he want to talk about that? Or was it something else he needed to say?

She gasped as he grabbed her arm forcefully and lead her to the kitchen, where a table and two chairs stood. "Sit.", he said. Hinata quickly sat down and looked at the single flower in the middle of the table while Sasuke casually leaned against the table, his eyes boring holes into her head.

"So you live with Ino now." The bluette looked at him. Was that what he wanted to talk about?

"W-Where else can I go? My clan b-banished me, and my _husband_ is with another woman, so all of my choices are limited y-you see.", said the girl sarcastically as she fingered the yellow flower.

He glared at her before continuing. "Why didn't you use the condo we had?" Hinata looked up startled at that. All this time she could have been staying in the other house! Why wasn't she thinking! Hinata sobered up and looked him in the eye.

"I needed a c-change in scenery, Sasuke." He muttered a 'whatever' before something caught his attention. The envelope laid their in it's demonic figure, clad straight on the table with the signature Konohanian stamp place in the top left corner. She noticed that he stared at it for a while before picking it up.

She didn't want him there. He was acting like nothing ever happened between them; like what he did never happened. It reminded her of their marriage; unchanging and awkward. He would sit at the table, much like now, and read the paper while Hinata would sit and wait for his conversation. She was tired of waiting for him; he needed to leave before Ino came home. Just as she was about to speak, he looked back up with softened red eyes.

"I thought that once I defied my parents' orders of this marriage that these feelings would subside, but it seems to be having the opposite affect on me.." He looked on at her flushed face with a thoughtful gaze. _Parent's orders?_

"W-What are you talking about?" He sighed before setting down the envelope.

"My father and Hiashi settled an agreement that once we both reached a legal age , that we would be married, and Uchiha and Hyuuga would be combined after four years of the marriage." He looked past her head at the clock on the wall. "All the dating that we had did was a ploy to get you to settle into it." The words felt foreign to the girl's ears. Her sense of hearing was becoming fuzzy and her breathing had stilled for a second.

"A-A ploy?", questioned the girl in disbelief. All this time, their marriage had been a lie? "S-So that day, w-w-when you and Naruto-kun started talking to me senior year and invited me to the g-graduation party, was that all apart of it?" She held her mouth as he slowly nodded, not looking at her.

"And when y-you started to talk to me over the phone, a-and wait outside the school for me when you were working for U-Uchiha.." He nodded once again, which nearly sent the girl to tears. She needed to ask one more question though, one that would top it off.

"That n-night in New York City during my senior trip, when we stood on the the top floor of the skyscraper, when you first kissed me and proposed to me...were those feelings a lie, too?" Her eyes were begging him to say it was a lie. "Please S-Sasuke... please tell me was our love not at the peak of that tower? Was I the only one that had those feelings that night?" He never answered her. A few tears started to seep through her eyes at his unresponsive answer. _No..._

_T-That picture that I saw...Sakura was in the background...was he cheating then? _She felt like she was going to vomit.

Hinata jumped at the ringing of the doorbell; Sasuke glanced at the door before looking at the tearing girl. "Like I said, I thought that once I severed the ties that held us together in this marriage, that my feelings for you would go away, but they haven't, and I need an explanation for this..", his voice was full of anger and confusion from what the girl could tell.

The doorbell rung once again, which caused both of them to look at the door again.

"I-I have t-to let the cleaning l-lady in..", whispered the girl. She walked towards the door in a steady pace, her mind in shreds at this point. She was sad and, also, confused by the Uchiha's words.

_All this time I thought that he had fallen out of love with me, when in reality, he was never in love with me to begin with. This was all a lie, a beautiful lie. A lie that I fell into. A lie that has imprinted a jagged mark on me for the rest of my life. Those beautiful moments that we shared were nothing more than organized plans to get me to getting used in being married. My first kiss stolen, my hand in marriage stolen.. Everything I have stolen.._

Hinata's hand lingered on the door. She breathed in and out before opening the door and giving the woman at the door a small smile. The only problem was that it wasn't the short cleaning lady. Ayoung man stood at the door. Hinata paled as Sasori walked past her, clad in a burguny shirt and slacks with the Akatsuki logo jacket.

"What's up, little minx?", asked the redhead as he came into the house with a box and large sheets of cardboard, dangerously coming close to the kitchen. Hinata squeaked as he sat down the material on the table.

"W-What are you doing here, Sasori-san? I-If you're looking for Ino, she's-"

"At Sabaku signing your contract, yada yada. I went by the building already." He then cut off the tv and started opening the box, taking out certain materials and such. Hinata looked at him for a moment, suddenly forgetting about her husband who was still in the kitchen. She grabbed a piece of the bright fabric; it was a light lavender silk.

"This looks n-nice, but w-what is it for?" Sasori sighed in tiredness and looked at her.

"Didn't you get the memo in the mail about the fitting being today? At three?", he came towards her and took down the ponytail, letting the indigo locks frame her face, "At Yamanaka's place?" Hinata yelped.

"D-Deidara didn't say anything about a-a fitting t-today!" Sasori raised a fine eyebrow at her before tucking some hair behind her ear.

"You were with Deidara today?" Hinata blushed a little at his dancing hazel eyes. "Whatever, just change into something more light." The bluette was about to do just that, but froze in place when she realized that there was still someone in the house besides the busy redhead.

She suddenly peeked in the kitchen to see if him being there was just a bad dream.

Sasuke was still sitting there at the table with a look of irritation on his boyish face, and the bluette couldn't help but swoon a little at the hot guy being in the kitchen, even though she was upset at him. She quickly shook her head when the redhead's voice rung out in the hall.

"Did you change yet? I don't like to be kept waiting." Hinata rushed into the kitchen and closed the double doors behind her before giving the suspicious looking Uchiha a small smile.

"T-The cleaning lady g-gets cranky a-around this time of day and I'm s-supposed to be helping her t-this afternoon. Can w-we finish this conversation some other day?", asked the girl as she ushered the guy out his chair and out the back door. She groaned as he stopped in front of the exit.

"That didn't sound like a 'lady' Hinata.", said the Uchiha as he narrowed his red eyes at her. "Who really was that?" Hinata gulped as he grabbed her hands in his and gave them a light squeeze, stopping her from moving.

The doors in the kitchen opened and Hinata braced herself for the second confrontation of her life.

In walked a buff looking woman with graying hair. The woman looked between the two before muttering "kids" and grabbing the mop out of the corner.

The bluette sighed in relief and looked up towards the with slight confidence.

"Goodbye, S-Sasuke." The said guy looked back at her before leaning down towards her. She shivered as his hot breath covered her neck.

"We'll finish this talk once I come back from France. Answer my calls next time, Hyuuga.", she felt him smirk on her neck, " I wouldn't want to track you down again." The warm air left and she looked at him turn the corner. Soon, a roaring sound was heard before his coupe was gone. Hinata clenched her chest and sat down on the back steps facing Ino's tremendous garden and koi pond.

She felt like she was floating now. He had feelings for her? What feelings was he talking about; the feelings of guilt? Love? Both? She was confused more than she was upset now. His words constantly replayed in her head. She wanted to feel angry, but she couldn't. She felt like she was played into this marriage, like she was nothing but a toy in the Hyuuga and Uchiha's games. No matter how bad she felt, she still cared about Sasuke.

_I'm not the only one that was affected by this_, thought the former-Hyuuga as she stared at the array of flowers in the garden. Sasuke had to do what his Fugaku and Hiashi had ordered, surely this was hurtful against him also, which is why he treated her this way. Hinata's eyes widened as realization came to her eyes.

Was this why he had treated her so badly when they were married? Was he so angry at this father and Hiashi that he felt like by cheating on her that he was rebelling against their orders? Was the bitter and hateful Sasuke that she married just a sad guy that wanted to break away from the rules of the clans?

_So the reason behind all this pain was the Clans.. _Deidara had told her to let him go, but could she really just forget about him? _His hurt_?

"What are you doing out here?", asked a curious voice. Hinata smiled a little at Sasori as he sat down on the steps next to her. They both looked out over the flowers.

"J-Just thinking about things", said the bluette as she looked at a stray butterfly that had purple and pink wings. Sasori stared at the girl for a long time; His eyes then widened as he stood up.

"Don't move from that spot girl, or you might just take your last breath from this earth." Hinata stilled in fear of his threat. She soon heard a snapping noise and looked up at the ecstatic redhead. He held his iphone in his hand. "I've found the perfect theme for you." He glanced at her before looking out at the flowers and taking a photo of it also.

She looked up at him in question. "Come on inside. I need to get your measurements." Hinata once again paled at the thought of him seeing her body.

Soon the girl heard cars pulling up into the blonde's yard. Sasori looked towards the sound before looking down at the girl with a smirk.

"Looks like the rest of the Akatsuki has arrived."

* * *

_**I know that I'm going to piss alot of people off by the way Hinata's thinking, but this is part of the story AND it is only the first ten chapters. Things are about to get messy in the next ten chapters, trust me and hold on. **_

_**When I read this chapter I became angry and at one point said 'WOMAN THE HELL UP, WOMAN!' but then realized I wrote the chapter. But then I realized that this is Hinata at 19 and thought, well, she IS going to grow up and realize her choices. This is why in the summary it says 'My husband is a fool because he tried to play a Hyuuga.' Hinata is going to realize that what she is doing is making excuses for him, a 21 year old guy, and is going to go against herself and become who she will be, an independent woman with her own career. Please Feminists and others, hold on. The drama is about to begin as well as heated arguments and bruising truths. Please hold on, it's coming. REVIEW as always. **_

_MDA**, WHERE ARE YOU! :(**_


	11. Chapter 10: Learning from My Mistakes

_**Chapter 10: Learning from My Mistakes**_

_**"You can't be brave if you've only had wonderful things happen to you." **_  
_**― **Mary Tyler Moore_

Sasori stood and motioned the now anxious girl to follow him inside; it was time now. The fitting with the Akatsuki. Hinata would be lying if she said that she wasn't excited and even happy. The line would launch during the fall, and the fitting seemed to be in perfect timing, during the hot, exhilarating summer. She wanted to make sure that everything was okay and in shape; for example, her body.

Sasori looked back at the bluette before going towards the door. "Change. Now." Hinata nodded and proceeded to the blonde's room in search of something that was tight and allowed her to move this and that way. She went through Ino's stuff the second time that day, promising to repay the barbie by cleaning the girl's room, even though the cleaning lady would probably make it there before Hinata did.

"Oh fuck, I left my damn prints at the penthouse! That little fucker better not have drawn on my shit!", yelled a boisterous voice. _That's definitely Hidan-san_., thought Hinata as she pulled on a tight shirt and shorty-shorts. She blushed as she stared at her reflection in Ino's mirror. She felt that she looked like one of those college girls on those pornographic videos that she had seen when she had went to Naruto's house in high school. She sighed and pulled her hair in a high bun.

She suddenly felt the need to think of _Naruto_ of all people. But who would not stray to think of their first crush and obsession at the young age of 12?

It had hurt when she had found out that he had been on the plan to take Hyuuga away from her also; Naruto was the last person that she had expected would do this to her. During their years at Sarutobi Private, he had always been this large, orange ball of fun and happiness, which is what connected her to him in the first place. She wanted to feel his happiness, have fun with him. But beside him always lied his best friend, Sasuke, who was the opposite of Naruto; a large, black ball of hate and arrogance. He was the one who had stood in her way of ever having '_that'_ type of relationship with the whisker-cheeked boy, and he was the sole reason why Naruto turned against her. Hinata felt a sudden anger come over her before it ceased, and caused her to look around her in confusion and in a little fear.

_What had come over me just then?_ She felt a burning sensation in her chest, despite the short clothing and a/c that was in the house. She clenched her chest and snapped her head up once a rant of a knock sounded on the door.

"You've had enough time to get dressed, girl. Do you want me to kick down this door?" Hinata jumped at the calm voice on the other end of the door and quickly opened the door before stepping out and following the redhead down the hall. Still the sensation in her chest wielded and grew fiery with each step she took towards the living room.

* * *

Tenten yawned heavily before popping another chip in her mouth. She was currently staying with one of her good friends, Lee. She had known him since kindergarten, and despite them going to different schools after kindergarten; she still kept in touch with him through summer athelitics camps and retreats. Right now, Lee was finishing his last year in college, and was staying in a rented apartment downtown.

The bun-lady didn't mind the rough neighborhood at all; it was more comforting than the prim and prissy estate she once lived in.

"Tenten, laying on the couch on such a beautiful day is bad for one's youth!", exclaimed the bowl-cut-haired guy as he adjusted his backpack on his shoulder. He gestured towards the window. "Are the bird's not chirping and singing their daily melody to us? Is the sun not shining its brightest today to give us strength on this wondrous day?!" Tenten threw another chip in her mouth and glared up at the tall boy that was blocking the TV; WWE Smack-Down was on.

"Yes, the sun _is_ shining bright today, and its damn well _hot_ as _hell_ out there. I would go out, but I'm a little restricted as you can see.", she pointed at the security ankle bracelet she was donning. Lee sighed before moving the girl's legs over on the couch and plopping right next to her.

"Tenten, you cannot be wasting away on the couch like you have for the past month or so. I am beginning to worry a great deal about you, and it is not just about the lingering but- Gah!" The brunette brought Lee's face close to hers, narrowing her hazel eyes in the process.

He flinched in fear at her devilish grin. "Were you just about to say something about that prick Neji, or were you just yanking my chain, bushy-brow?" He gulped before shaking his head repeatedly, uttering small apologies. He suddenly pulled away from her and stared at her with his wide, child-like eyes.

"I do not like it when you are like this. The shine in those brown eyes are gone..." Tenten threw the bag down and looked the other way, her eyes softening at the thought of the reason why her shine was gone; Tenji.

"I miss him so much, Lee. It's been a month and I haven't even been able to talk to him about what is going on.", she looked out the window and sighed sadly, "I've missed his first day of elementary, so much I've missed in Tenji's life, all because of my anger towards a situation I could have avoided." Lee listened with his own sad eyes. He didn't want TenTen to be hurting this way, but there was nothing he could do; he had to focus on graduating from college right now.

He put his hand on her shoulder. "Do not worry, my fair lady! The sun shines brighter on the victors side of the mountain!" She sighed and leaned back on the couch, remote in hand.

"Yeah, go on and have fun with your frat-friends and moody college girls and leave your best friend lonely and stuck in the house by herself...with knives and pointy forks." Lee looked at the little bracelet on her ankle.

"You'll be free to leave the house in a few weeks, Tenten! Do not resort to such things when you are so close to freedom!"

Tenten was about to respond, but glued her eyes back to the television when she saw that the commercials were gone.

He laughed and opened the door when suddenly a small figure dashed into the house, nearly knocking him off his feet.

The breath was knocked out of Tenten when the child clung to her waist and buried his brown locks into her clothes. "MOMMY!" Tenten gripped the young boy in suprise and happiness as she realized it was her boy, Tenji.

Those white eyes smiled up at her and nearly sent her to tears. "Is this real?!", she looked up at the teary Lee, "Did you plan this? How did you get Neji to do this?" Lee looked at her with confusion.

"It was, unfortunately, not me you brought such a surprise." She looked down at the blissful boy and question him.

He simply smiled and said, "Kin-chan dropped me off here and said that I could stay here till Daddy got back from France! But she told me to promise not to tell Daddy." Tenten stilled and looked out the window to see that a bright blue Ferrari was outside the apartment complex, a very pregnant Kin standing in front of it with a smile and a small wave. Tenten looked towards the belly, questioning if she was already six months.

Tenten smiled back at her and saw her quickly get into the car and zoom off from the torn down neighborhood.

Tenji looked up at his mother in question. "Did you get the note from Hinata-chan, mommy?"

* * *

Hinata entered the living room to find almost all the Akatsuki (with the exception of Kisame) present on the round sofas in the room. A lone little table stood there in the middle of the circle, which made Hinata raise her eyebrows in confusion. Was that there before?

She noticed that the room was eerily quiet when she walked in; the men (and Konan) were seated, taking notes on the girl just before she stepped upon the platform. When she stepped on the little table, with help from the sarcastic Sasori, everyone stopped and looked around at each other.

Ino's cheerful voice sounded from the kitchen. "Does anyone want some lily tea? I got it shipped in from Switzerland this morning!" The barbie proceed to put the tea set next to the sofa tables, which were seated on each end of the plushy furniture. Hidan snorted before responding.

"You know I'm allergic to lily, bitch." Hinata winced at the blonde's heavy glare on the albino as he calmly looked up at the bluette again before writing in his notepad. Itachi, who sat in a corner in the room, stood and stalked to Hinata, much like his little brother. He peered at her face before roaming over her form, making her shiver.

"Which colors are we going for?", he went to the box Sasori had brought in and took out several fabrics, "Light or vivid?" Deidara glanced up at him.

"Her eyes are a light lavender, so I suggest we stick to the lingerie being pastels. The clothing can go either way, un." The Uchiha nodded and smirked at the girl before going into the back room. Hinata let go a breath she didn't know she had and slouched over a little. This was just getting started, and she was already tired. She didn't know how long her body could hold up; she wasn't athletic and didn't have enough energy to stand up on the little table without her feet becoming sweaty from her anxiety and the scrutinizing stares from her bosses.

Hidan then looked up at the girl, a little realization coming to his face. "Oh, how fucking rude of me. Minx, this guy over here is my bitch, Kakuzu. Kakuzu, my other bitch." Hinata looked over beside the rude man and saw a face she didn't see before.

He was a dark-skinned man with scary, red and green eyes, which reminded her of a horror movie she had once watched. Despite this, the man seemed to carry a feature that made him unique and even handsome. She blushed at his hard stare on her chest, embarrassed that this was the first impression she would make.

"N-Nice to m-meet you, Kakuzu-san." He nodded and continued to write. After another thirty minutes of pure Hell, everyone dropped their notepads on their laps and held out their hands. Hinata stared curiously as Ino stepped beside her on the little stand. She noticed that each person held a look of challenge, even the Uchiha's red orbs pierced each individual he held out his hand.

Ino looked around the room. "Ready...Set...Draw!" A series of curses came from Hidan after the results were in; Everyone but Sasori had rock, while he had the victorious paper symbol with a ecstatic smirk.

Hidan jumped up in frustration. "I thought I told you dicks that rock was my thing!- Itachi, what the fuck man!" Itachi shrugged.

"Today I felt like picking rock…" Deidara shook his head at the men and looked towards Sasori with a slight smirk.

Hinata giggled at the childish gamble going on. Rock, Paper, Scissors?

Ino clapped in joy. "The winner is the puppeteer, Sasori Sabaku!" Claps and 'Congratulation's went around the room, and Hinata stopped in insane giggling to look on in confusion at the cheer and upset atmosphere in the room.

Sasori smirked and turned towards the girl, a kind of shine dancing in his eyes.

"The theme will be _Mujakina Jōnetsu_ , a light and graceful line meant for 'first timers'." Konan and Ino looked at each other for a moment. Too _bad_ no one knew that the girl was a virgin.

"Mujakina Jōnetsu it is, un.", Deidara wrote it down; he was the Design Coordinator afterall. (much to Sasori's chagrin) .

Kakuzu seemed to be satisfied with the choice, as well as the others

He patted his pockets. "Pretty soon I'll be swimming in millions off this chick." Hinata blushed once again and steadied herself on the stool.

Sasori smirked at Ino. "It seems that our little barbie is already swimming in millions. Did anyone see the new black Coupe in the driveway?"

Ino looked at the the redhead in confusion. "I own a Rolls Royce." She looked at the others. Hidan grabbed a tea cup off one of the sofa tables before stirring in it with his long fingers.

"There was a black car pulling out of the driveway before we pulled up, but we all suspected it was the neighbor's." Hinata stilled.

"Sasuke just bought a new Coupe this morning.", stated Itachi, who was now interested in the investigation. All eyes turned to the bluette in question, one of the eyes piercing her with incredulity.

"Was someone here before Sasori came, Hinata?", asked Ino. The girl diverted her gaze to the french painting on the blonde's wall, not wanting to answer her question. Ino face turned from question to astonishment.

"Hinata! He was in the house?!", exclaimed the blonde and soon she ran out of the room to check the the other rooms in the house for a sign of the Uchiha being there. Hinata looked down and saw that Konan was already taking her measurements, the little yellow measuring tape starting at her bust.

"I-I didn't know it w-was him at first! I-I had just g-gotten off the phone and the door bell r-rang! A-And I had thought i-it was the cleaning l-lady, but-" Deidara cut in then.

"So you just opened the door without checking to see who it was?" He didn't use 'un' at the end of his question, which made confused. He only did that when he was angry, like with Neji.

Konan moved down to the girl's waist. Hinata looked at the agitated man, trying to explain the situation. "I-I was being careless, I-I know, but-!"

"So what did you two talk about?", Hinata looked at Deidara, whose eyes were now a stormy blue. "Did you two talk about your failing marriage? The 'good times' you both had? Or did you let him knock you around a little?" Hinata's breath hitched at the nasty snagg the blonde pulled at. Sasuke had only hit her once in their marriage, but it still wasn't an excuse. Did verbal insults count as abuse?

Konan looked back at the blonde ,stilling her graceful measuring. "That was low, Deidara. You need to apologize." He ignored Konan and started to examine his fingernails.

"It isn't like she's not used to it. This is an earful compared to the long list of insults that Uchiha has given her.." Hidan grabbed the blonde's shoulder. Even though he was known for violent habits, Hidan knew when enough was enough, especially when it concerned the most private matters in a person's life.

"Chill, dude." Deidara ignored Hidan and glanced back up at the girl.

"A woman without the guts to stand up for herself is pathetic, and me giving my pity and sympathy to someone like you is a waste." Sasori shook his head at the blonde, wanting to reprimand him for his obscene behavior.

"This is getting out of hand", muttered Itachi as he watched the scene unfold before his eyes. "But it had to come out someday."

Hinata looked at him. She couldn't believe that he, a man who she had considered a friend, was saying such things about her. He _pitied_ her? Was she nothing in his stormy blue eyes? The irritation in her stomach was on fire now; she didn't understand him.

"W-Why are you saying such things?"

"Because the thought of women like you make me sick to my stomach, un. You had the nerve to let him into the house where Ino, a woman who has given you anything that you asked for and who is serving as you lawyer for free, lives!" Hinata tried to defend herself, feeling the warm ball in her stomach incresase.

"I-I didn't know he-"

"It doesn't matter! You could have told him to leave, yet you LET him stay!"

"I didn't!"

"YOU _DID_! You are to blame for his actions about how he treats you!" Silence was in the room as the raging man continued. "Don't you see what your doing, Hinata? Your bending under his will. You wanted to get away, yet you're still trying to hold on to have a loving relationship with him, when we all know that will never happen."

Hinata looked down at her painted toes. She _was_ still hoping they would get back together. He was all she had known in the category 'love'. Life without him for the past month had been lonely. The beautiful pinkette then popped into her head. Sakura.

"Y-You don't know that! He told me the truth about our marriage!"

Deidara snorted. "Yeah, him cheating on you and abusing you can be excused, all because he told you the truth about one little thing! Is that going to change the fact that you were played?" Everyone looked between the two each time they yelled or said something. Ino soon emerged from the room, a sad look in her eyes.

Hinata stepped off the stool. "He did all those things because he was angry at his clan because of this arranged marriage thing! He was never really mad at me!"

Deidara jumped up and took a step towards her, his height over-towering hers.

"Oh, so he _lied_ to you, _cheated_ on you, and _abused_ you? Wow, that's another thing added on his list of failures, Hinata! Your whole marriage was basically a lie!" Sasori stood beside the blonde, ready to still his steps towards the angry girl. Everyone in the room stood right after the redhead, also ready to interfere in the fierce argument going on.

"I-I've come to that conclusion already!", she gripped her now fallen hair. "Why are you saying these things when you don't even know me?!"

He laughed at her manically. "Because, there are replicas of the women like you all around! I see you on the streets of New York, at the balls in Milan, even in the most torn down neighborhoods! Pathetic women, clinging on to their husbands because they are afraid to move on in the world with the fear of being alone!"

She threw up her hands, tears now falling. "You just don't understand! You never will.." Deidara glared down at her harshly.

"Yeah, he told you the truth! But what you can't seem to see is that he could have made better decisions about his relationship with his clan instead of taking out all his anger on you! He is a vile man, Hyuuga! He doesn't deserve your love!" She looked away from him, a sadness creeping through her.

"Then who does, Deidara?!" The room was aggravatingly frigid, the opposite of the now dark, hot air outside. She had hit a nerve. She watched him stare at her, his eyes softening and looking in different directions before it met with her face.

"You are so much like her...", said the blonde man quietly. Hinata noticed that an unexplainable sadness had come to him, dismantling the angry aura around him. Deidara soon looked at her again before storming out the door.

Sasori quickly followed after the blonde, hoping that he could stop the on-the-edge man from doing something that could cost him his life. The door slammed behind the two.

"Looks like this fitting is over", said Hidan as he gathered up his things and motioned for Kakuzu to follow. He nodded his head toward Ino and Hinata before following his partner out the door. Konan shook her head.

"This was a disaster in the making." Ino agreed and looked to the Uchiha, who was gathering his things. The barbie walked over towards him, a serious look on her face.

"Itachi-"

"If this is about my foolish little brother, I would rather not hear about it." Ino held a little surprise in her eyes. Normally, Itachi would have loved to listen to problems concerning the young man, but now he seemed different. She grabbed his shoulder a little as he leaned down to get his phone.

"Is there a reason for this statement, Itachi-san?" He only glanced back at her for a moment.

"I've decided to dedicate my full time to Akatsuki and Sabaku. I gave my ownership of Uchiha over to Sasuke this morning." Ino's mouth fell open.

"I wish not to talk about it.", he looked out the large window in the room. "Uchiha is not of my concern anymore." He soon bid the women good-bye before exiting the house.

The female Akatsuki member shoved the material box off the couch before sitting down gracefully, all while focusing her full attention to the girl sitting on the small table in the middle of the room. Ino decided to start off the conversation.

"Please let this be the last time you have contact with Sasuke. I like having my clients and opponents seperate before they go to testify in Divorce Court." The bluette had forgotten about the court that was going to happen in a few weeks. "For all we know, Sasuke could have been seeking information on what you were planning to testify against him with." Hinata snapped her eyes up at the blonde.

"I-I don't think that he was here f-for that." Konan sighed before deciding that it was her time to speak.

"Oh, then pray tell, why was he coming over to Ino's in the first place? Did he know you were staying with her?" Hinata jumped at the question, already going over her and her handsome husband's detailed, but short talk. Now that she thought about it, he didn't know she was at Ino's place. Which only could have meant-

"He was going to make a deal with me. That sneaky little Uchiha was planning on giving me millions to backfire on you and not present the court with his secret life!", exclaimed Ino. She looked like she wanted to knock someone's head off.

Konan crossed her legs and grabbed one of the tea cups before muttering 'exactly' and taking a small sip. Hinata felt her heart skip a beat at the realization. _Another realization, huh..._

Hinata wouldn't admit it out loud, but for the first time in a long time, she was becoming pissed off with the her conniving husband, the notorious MGC, the judgmental Hyuuga Clan, the stressful clothing line, and _Deidara_, who she couldn't seem to figure out his real feelings of her. She couldn't understand anything anymore, which made the fiery tomb in her belly snap, creating a flaming internal anger that she didn't know she had.

"I'm going to bed.", said Hinata. The other girls in the room looked at one another before looking back at the narrowed-eyed girl.

"We need to discuss this, Hinata. Nothing will get done if-", Ino was cut off.

"How about you two discuss it, because I'm afraid I might screw it up, just like I've been doing this whole time!" Konan put down the tea cup and held up her hands in surrender.

"Woah, Hinata. We are only trying-" Hinata turned her rage on Konan then.

"Trying to help? It seems that all you two are trying to do is bring me down and count out my failures!"

Ino stood, trying to defend herself and Konan. "That's not what we're trying to do! We're doing what's best for you." Hinata looked at the two in utter angry still.

"Only I know what's best for me! Stop treating me like a child!"

"We'll stop treating you like one when you learn to start acting like an adult.", said Konan calmly as she stared at the raging Hinata in pure amusement.

Hinata ignored the two and stormed into the basement, shutting the wooden door behind her. Ino sighed and leaned against the couch.

"Teenagers..." Konan picked back up her tea before looking at Ino.

"At least the stutter is gone."

* * *

After three hours of sleep Hinata had become restless, and started to count the numbers on the digital clock and divide it by three. It was already 1:23 am. _One plus two plus three equal six...six divided by three equals two...two.._ It only took one person to make her life a mess. She sighed and sat up in the makeshift bed. Deidara's words cruised in her mind all night; she had even dreamed of him say those cruel, but true words to her. _But why does it hurt so much? Why am I hurting?_ She stood and walked toward the body-length mirror in the basement.

She stared at her gown-clad self before slipping the then straps off her shoulders and letting the thin dress fall. She smiled sadly at her body. She had gotten what she had wanted; two full mounds and more than enough hips to go along with the pair. But she wasn't happy like she thought she would have been. She had wanted those things to please Sasuke, not herself. _Sasuke.._

She frowned at the thought of his beautiful face before going to the dresser in the corner and putting on a knee-length dress and flats. What was the point in staying in bed when she couldn't sleep. She shoved her phone in her dress pocket and pulled her on her jacket and walked up the rutty-sounding stairs.

Hinata decided to walk quietly down the hall, so as to not wake up the pretty blonde resting safety under her covers. A wave of guilt came over the bluette as she stared at the beautiful blonde. She wished that she hadn't have taken all her anger out on the blonde and purple-haired woman. _And Deidara.._ She had decided that she would apologize to them personally when she got back. Hinata grabbed her purse, containing her first $200 check, and left the house. The stars were still out, but Hinata couldn't see them shine due to the streetlights that ran down the road. Nevertheless, the girl needed this time to think, not to enjoy the splendid view of nature surrounding the fancy neighborhoods.

She found herself walking in the middle of the almost deserted city, her mind set on surprisingly not Sasuke, but Deidara.

_Deidara.._ His crystal blue eyes and his thick mane of yellow was printed in her mind. She was so deeply confused. Why was he acting like that towards her? Was he holding a grudge against her from long ago? Hinata would have known if she had met him some time before; no one would ever forget his eyes. Those eyes.. they held so much passion in them when he was working on the line's theme, so much amusement when he going at it at her cousin, so much happiness when she had been in the backseat with him during Tenten's bailout. Now she had seen a new emotion in those azure eyes; anger. Even though she was angry at him for this, she couldn't help but feel that all of his emotions weren't for her, but for someone else.

_But who_, thought Hinta as her feet stopped in front of a building that was much shorter that the tall scrapers of the city. A tiny cross was at the tip of the building. A church stood before the girl. Her intention was to pass it, but her feet moved towards it. It was like a spiritual pull was motioning her there, almost as if God himself was ushering the girl forward. _Will I find the answer here?_ She had been in a church before; when she had asked her father if she could go with the lower clan members, he would scold her and tell her to go study; he had said that such things could wait and that her education was more important. Her mother had to sneak her in at night, so that her father wouldn't know. Those moments were some of the best that she and her mother shared while she was still alive. Hinata wiped her eyes and stared at the top of the building. She had to make up for due time here.

The girl hesitated before pulling open one of the doors and stepping in. There were many seats in the place and if one looked up they would see a chandelier of gold hanging from the ceiling. The many windows in the place of worship were made of color-stained glass, which brought out the gold accents of the church. The front of the church held the cross, a large, gold one that held the man that had sacrificed his life for the world, Jesus.

Hinata's eyes caught something red in the corner of her eye and soon, she became surprised by the person sitting on the front bench. _Gaara-san.._ She became timid then. Would he think of her as weak? He still hadn't turned around though, his eyes still plastered on the golden cross in front of the room. Hinata walked forward, much more confidence in her step. She wasn't ashamed of how people thought about her when it came to her God; she was willing to endure it.

The bluette quietly sat next to the redhead, making sure that they were at a comfortable distance. His eyes still did not move from the cross. She stared at the golden Jesus with him. Soon she heard his deep, raspy voice.

"Why does God forgive so easily for our wicked sins?", asked the redhead as he continued to stare. Hinata glanced at Gaara for a moment before turning back to the cross. She shrugged for a minute before answering.

"B-Because God loves us all..." She felt his eyes turn to her.

"Why does God love us?" Hinata turned towards him and smiled. He reminded her of Hanabi when she asked her questions.

"Because we are his children.." The redhead stared at her for some time before looking back at his original muse. Hinata looked at the cross with him again. She didn't question him about his questionings. She didn't feel intimidated by his dark like aura either; in God's house, they were not the famous business owner or the woman mistreated in her marriage. They were human beings. She decided to ask him a question of her own.

"What are you d-doing here, Gaara-san?"

"When I want to get away business and paparazzi, I come here. It helps me manage my stress." Hinata looked curiously.

"The s-stress of working?" Gaara leaned back against the seat.

"That among many other things.", he smiled a little at the cross. "It has helped me through most of my hardships..." Hinata scooted closer to him, wanting him to enlighten her on his thoughts. A few minutes of silence went by before he began with his confession.

"When I was younger, demons used to come to me at night." His raspy voice remained calm and emotionless. Hinata sucked in her breath at that.

"W-What do you mean b-by that?"

He glanced at her before looking back at the cross. "Demons, evil beings that wanted to control me, break me and kill me. When my father found out, he sent me away to a mental hospital when I was only four years old.", he clenched his fists, but Hinata still stayed close to him. "He didn't believe me, not at all. He only cared for my other siblings, mostly because I was the youngest. Temari was Heir, so his sole concern was on her.

"During my years at the hospital, the demons still came, and my anger for my father increased. He was never there with me like mother was..", Gaara's voice hinted on a little anger. "Soon, the media found out about how I was shipped away by my father, and they constantly downed my parents for bad parenting skills." He became silent for a minute. Hinata's chest clenched; she wanted to know what else had happen. It was eating her inside of what was to be said.

"What c-came after that?"

He glared at the cross then. "My father filed for divorce, and won my siblings and I in the case." Hinata put her hand to her mouth and let out a gasp. "He left mother with nothing, not one cent to her name."

"Why?"

"Because he wanted to be with another woman." _Much like me and Sasuke.. _Hinata stared at the redhead in shock. If she had had children by Sasuke, would he have taken her babies away. The thought was to cruel to imagine.

She gripped his shoulder, sadness in her eyes. "What did your mother do?" She saw his eyes narrow.

"The media bashed her, ridiculed her, and soon, she committed suicide." Hinata let go of him and held her head in her hands. She had thought of committing suicide over Sasuke once also, but the thought quickly burned into ashes. She would have never thought that Gaara had went through that. She felt bonded with him; they had both lost women that were important figures in their lives.

"What d-did you do when you found out?"

"I started to feel betrayal, hurt, unimaginable pain. I started to withdraw myself from others and started to hate the people in the hospital, and soon, I was discharged from the hospital and sent to attend Sarutobi Private." _Eight years? He attended Sarutobi Private!_

"How come I-I never saw you there?" Gaara looked at her and smirked.

"I went to school on the west-wing. I remember only seeing you during lunch hour." Hinata blushed.

Gaara continued on with the story.

"The demons left, but I was still consumed with so much hate. I started to get involved in fights, drugs, and that _damned_ Uchiha." Hinata squeaked.

"S-S-Sasuke?! But he-!" Gaara cut her off.

"Exactly. Uchiha, Uzumaki, Nara, Hyuuga, all of us, birds of a feather."

"That f-flocked together.", muttered Hinata. Gaara nodded and looked back at the golden cross, his teal eyes softening.

"We caused trouble, all of us. We played girls everyday, got high on Saturdays, fought thugs on Wednesdays, and studied on Thursdays.", Gaara shook his head, disgruntled by his past. Hinata patiently listened. "That's how that sex-tape came about. I had played Kin into doing it, but kept it."

"Why did y-you do it?" Gaara shrugged.

"I was young and I wanted everyone to feel how I felt. I wanted everyone to feel my sadness, my frustration. But I just couldn't humiliate her at the time." Hinata soon saw a small smile form on his lips.

"That's when I found this place. I was intending on tearing it apart one night, but He called out to me. I felt an air of love and acceptance here. I realized that the demons weren't gone, they weren't visible to me anymore because I was now the demon." He looked at Hinata. "That's when I decided to change my life. I left Sarutobi Private and transferred to Suna Academy, where I reunited with my siblings." Hinata smiled at the ending.

"What did your father say?"

"Soon after the divorce,he soon died of HIV, given to him by the woman that he claimed he loved." A bitter-sweet situation. "The will was read at his funeral, and it turned out that I was given ownership to Sabaku." The bluette smiled brightly at him.

"T-Thank you for sharing t-that with me, Gaara-kun." He looked up at her in confusion.

"Kun?"

She nodded and happily gripped his hand. "We have b-become besties!" Gaara raised and eyebrow, then suddenly smirked.

"If that is so, why don't you tell me of your argument with Deidara?" Hinata stilled before letting go of his hand and once again, looked down at her hands. They were small compared to Gaara's. How did he know? _Sasori IS his cousin..._A long silence passed by and the two found themselves looking back at the golden cross. Gaara sighed.

"Everyone has hardships in their lives, Hinata. No one is perfect."

Hinata responded. "I-I know, b-but he didn't have to say such things to me. H-He doesn't really know me, so w-who is he to judge who I am?" Gaara clenched the bridge of his nose before deciding to tell the girl.

"I'm breaking my promise to him, but I hope he won't be too bothered about this.", he looked Hinata straight in her lavender eyes. "Deidara was angry because you reminded him of his mother." She looked at him in curiosity.

"I-I reminded him of his mother? How so?"

"I've told you too much already, but here's my point in telling you this. I want you to know that Deidara didn't mean you any harm. He's angry that you aren't standing up for yourself though." Hinata's hand found her indigo locks.

"B-But why is he concerned about m-me? I'm not t-that important-"

"He fears that if you go back to Uchiha, that you will suffer the same fate that his mother has to deal with." The bluette looked wide-eyed at the emotionless redhead. "He fears that when you go back to him, that Sasuke will control you once again, and this time you won't be able to get out." Get out of the marriage? Gaara stare frightened her; it reminded her that she was in the real world.

"Deidara's father sent him away to Japan from the Suoh family, and the one person that he thought would stand up for him was his mother, but she shied away and stood by his father, afraid of her husband leaving her." Hinata gasped for the hundredth time that day, once again surprised of the information she was hearing from Gaara, who remained emotionless.

"W-Why? What reason would a father have for sending their own son a-away?" Gaara shrugged and stood, brushing his pants off. He looked at her.

"If you do not acknowledge what Sasuke has done, I'm afraid that you will succumb to the fate of Deidara's mother. Or worse.." He didn't have to finish the sentence for Hinata to know the rest. She would be at risk of killing herself over Sasuke.

The guilt weighed her down. She had yelled at Deidara, and told him that he didn't understand, when he knew it first hand from being a child. A child, brought into the mess of a cheating and controlling father. Would Sasuke act like Deidara's father toward their children, if they ever had any? Would he change? Sakura then popped into her head; if she and Sasuke ever got back together, would the pinkette commit suicide, like Gaara's mother had? Hinata quickly stood and grabbed Gaara's shoulder, knowing what she had to do.

"C-Can you take me to Deidara's place?" Gaara nodded and ushered the girl out the church, but not before looking at the cross on the opposite wall and giving it a small smile. _Thank you.._

* * *

Gaara's sleek drop-top pulled up in front of the condominium. Hinata looked at him, a confident look stoned in her eye.

"10B. They should still be up.", said the redhead. Hinata smiled at Gaara. She was happy that she had met him; his talk had straightened her out. Without thinking, Hinata pecked the redhead on the cheek before jumping out of the car and running towards the condos. When she made it to the entrance, she waved him goodbye.

Gaara smirked at her and gave a light wave before speeding down the street. Hinata opened the door, thoughts pounding her head at once. She was going to apologize to him, for everything. For being weak, dependent, for yelling at him, stuttering, all of it. She was going to promise him that for the first time in her life, that she was going to be strong. Not just for herself, but for him because he needed someone right now.

With a quick pace, Hinata walked out of the elevator and started searching. When she stood in front of the door, she inhaled and exhaled. She was ready to apologize, right here and right now.

The girl knocked loudly on the door and waited for a second, before the door was opened by the hazel-eyed man.

He turned and went back into the front room, throwing things into a luiviton luggage bag on the couch. Hinata closed the door slowly and walked towards the frantic redhead, who was going this way and that.

"W-Where's Deidara? I-I need to speak with him." Sasori casted her a backwards glance before zipping up the suitcase and heading to the back of the condo. Hinata followed after her, determination in her head. "Where i-is-"

"He's on his way to France at the moment. Can I take a message?", said the redhead sarcastically as he grabbed a thick stack of money off a table near a room. He soon moved to the front again, Hinata envying his long legs.

"Why?", asked Hinata as she watched him stuff the money in his pocket. She was scared at how fast he was moving.

"He's making a record.", is what the redhead said shortly. He started cutting off lights in the house quickly. He then looked at Hinata. "Oh, and he's trying to save his mother from his father and MGC's clutches right now, so he is going to be busy." Hinata gasped. Sasuke's face popped in her head. Sasori glared at her, his hazel eyes burning holes in her.

"Yes. It is because of your husband's 'eye-for-an-eye' rule that Deidara and his mother might end up dead." He continued quickly when he say confusion on her face. " Apparently, Uchiha is not only running a business, but also an underground drug business. Deidara's father has been buying more than he can afford, and Sasuke is about to collect his debt." Hinata's tears slid down her cheeks. Deidara's family and himself were in trouble, all because of Sasuke.

That's when everything clicked. Yesterday at her job Deidara was talking on the phone in french, and one other words meant 'mother' when translated. Then Sasuke came over to Ino's house in a brand new car and only stayed a few minutes; then he said something about talking to him when he came back from France. Now Deidara was gone... Would Sasuke really harm the blonde's mother over money he didn't get? _No.._

Sasori ignored her tears and went towards the door. Hinata stopped him by blocking his way with her body. Her eyes held tears, but not from sadness. Sasori saw that it was anger and determination.

"I-I'm going with you." Sasori sighed. He didn't have the time to be waiting on her; his best friend was about to go to war with Sasuke and his croonies. He didn't want Deidara to do something stupid while in France

"I don't have time to be waiting on you get-" She cut him off.

"I won't need anything but a jet." Hinata walked out the door and waited for him before getting on the elevator. Sasori felt the anger coming off of her in waves.

"Why are you coming exactly?" The bluette looked up at him.

"Because I'm going to stop Sasuke." Sasori snorted.

"If you haven't noticed, you and Sasuke aren't exactly on 'lovey-dovey' terms. You could end up being killed in the process." Hinata remained quiet until they made it to the lobby. They both went towards a red camaro in the parking lot. Sasori looked at her once more and started loading his luggage in.

Hinata got into the passenger seat, ready to leave . She didn't feel anything; she didn't want to feel anything. The only thing on her mind was getting to France to stop Sasuke. Sasori got in and started up the car before asking her the question again.

"Why are you going?" She looked him dead in the eye, her eyes holding an internal fire.

"If I never do anything right in my life, I want to die knowing that I helped one person fix their life." Sasori's lidded eyes gazed at her.

"You're willing to risk your life for Deidara?" Hinata didn't hesitate this time. She smiled brightly at Sasori. His own throat clenched at her plump lips curving.

"What do I have to lose?" Sasori returned the smirk and soon sped off to the the Sabaku private landoff.

* * *

_**The plot(part of it) was introduced! I hope you enjoyed this chapter more than I enjoyed writing it! I want you all to know that the lives of the others are about to be introduced also! I think that this fic will have about twenty five chapters in all! There's so much information that I have to include for you all! Prepare to be surprised!**_

_**Thank you all for your continued support! Until next time! REVIEW!**_


	12. Chapter 11: The Domino Effect

_**Chapter 11: The Domino Effect**_

_**"Mine was the twilight and the morning. Mine was a world of rooftops and love songs." **__**  
**__― Roman Payne, __Rooftop Soliloquy _

Hinata stared wide-eyed at the top of the ceiling, muttering a small prayer while clutching the thick covers tighter than she ever has. She was perspiring heavy and shaking, which caused her skin to become somewhat clamy. Her eyes were burning with hot tears, not from a certain male though, but from exhaustion and fear. Fear from what you ask? Fear from flying.

She was currently lying on one of the comfortable seats on the jet, taking up a whole bench my herself. She averted her eyes a little towards the big jet window in front of her and quickly closed her eyes again, muttering yet another prayer. Oh God, why did France have to be so far? Before she had so much fearlessness, and now all of that has diminished, due to her fear of heights.

The bluette decided to try one more time to open her eyes, and opened only one lavender orb to see hazel eyes staring down at her with mock and amusement. Sasori leaned over his seat, reading glasses on his face.

"Still feel that confidence plunging through your veins?" Hinata quickly sat up and stared at the redhead, determination still on her slightly green face.

"Y-Yes! I-I do!" She then clenched her mouth before grabbing her barf bag and letting out her stomach.

The redhead drew back, disgusted, and looked back at her sickly face again.

"What I don't seem to understand is why you have a fear of planes when your father is Hiashi Hyuuga. Did you not travel out of the country a few times during your childhood?"

Her mind then thought of her father, quiet and stern, but gentle and caring towards her late mother. A sudden feeling of sadness hit her then. In this time of need, Hinata should have ran into her father's arms and cried to her hearts content, but was afraid of being weak around him. Hadn't he been the one to name Neji the new Heir? So did he think of her as weak also? She gripped her forehead and looked at Sasori from her laying position.

"I-I only went out of the country once, and that was when I was about three. I don't r-remember the ride there, only the people I met." She then thought of another time she went out of country. "I also w-went out of country during m-my senior trip in high school."

"So you didn't feel sick on that plane, huh?" Hinata shook her head. There was a reason why she wasn't sick, Sasuke was there to hold her hand. That _was _the best trip of her life, but now it was a corrupted memory of how she got trapped in this marriage.

The redhead glanced at her before taking a gulp of his drink. "Maybe jets are too small and fast for you. Konan hates jets, says that she's claustrophobic." He stopped and shook his now empty can, displeased that it was gone. "Maybe it's the altitude."

The bluette sighed and threw her blanket over her head. "Y-Yeah, maybe its the a-altitude."

Sasori groaned before setting down his book and pressing a button on his armrest. A voice soon bellowed out of the intercom at the front of the jet.

"_What is it now, Sasori?"_

The redhead took off his glasses and peeked into his now empty coke can before shooting it in the waste basket across from him.

"Do we have anymore cokes, Temari?" A growl was heard over the intercom before the curtains of the pilot were opened by the said woman. Kankuro was now flying the jet. Sasori smirked as she went to the mini kitchen and looked through the fridge. Without hesitation, the can was thrown in his direction with the intention to knock his brains out.

"I'm not your freaking maid! If you want a coke, get off your lazy ass and get it yourself!"

Hinata groaned at the sound of the can hitting the window and decided to sit up. Temari growled at the smirking Sasori once more before looking at the pouting bluette.

"You should lay back down, Hyuuga-san. You've been up groaning for six hours now. Surely you want to get some rest before we land in the next two hours." Hinata smiled a little at her.

"Call me Hinata p-please. Just Hinata." Temari smirked at her before throwing one of the cushiony pillows at her and walking back to the pilot station.

The bluette cautiously turned towards the window. The sandy-blonde hadn't been lying when she said that they would land in the next two hours. The sky was a purplish-bright blue color that reminded her of the beach in the morning.

She couldn't believe what was happening. She was going to _France_ to stop her _husband_ from doing something unforgivable to Deidara. She would be lying if she said that she wasn't a little scared; she didn't know what she was jumping into. _There's no turning back now.._

"_One hour 'till landing. Buckle up" _Kankuro's voice seemed to sooth her a bit, but not completely. Sasori simply clicked his belt together and looked back at her. He then signaled her to come by him by patting the seat beside him.

Hinata gripped her blanket and shakily stumbled towards the empty seat next to him. She heard him grunt a little.

"Put on your seat belt girl.", is what he muttered as he looked out the window at the now bright, blue sky.

Once she was settled he glanced over at her with half-lidded eyes.

"So...do you have a plan by chance?" Hinata almost squealed with panic. He didn't have a plan?!

"I-I-I thought that you had a plan!" He 'tched' and looked away.

"I usually just jump into things. I don't like to keep others waiting for my entrance.."

The girl buried her head in the blanket and screamed.

Sasori glared at her a little and pulled her back up by her tangled, indigo hair. "Don't act like you had something planned for Uchiha. You're no better than me." She winched a little at his light tug and sighed with relief when he let her thick hair go. A moment of silence passed between them with Hinata staring at his emotionless face as he closed his eyes.

She prayed that he thought of something, anything. Feeling like there was nothing else she could do, the bluette closed her eyes and started to think of something despite her drowsy state. She had never been to France before, but judging by how Sasuke owned such a underground business, she suspected that he knew every street corner and alley way there; was there any alley ways in France? Which part of France were they heading to anyway? An important thought then popped into her sleepy head.

"S-Sasori-san, don't we n-need passports in o-order to travel out of the c-country?" He peered at her from the corner of his eyes, apparent annoyance on his flawless face.

"Does Superman need a passport to travel?" Hinata unknowingly started to gnaw at her bottom lip.

"N-No, but-!"

"Point proved." Hinata pouted and fell back against the seat.

She jumped when the intercom came back on. _"We're about to land."_ She gripped the seat and unknowingly Sasori's hand. He looked at her, slightly annoyed, before intertwining their fingers together.

"Don't faint on me now, Hyuuga."

* * *

Ino's eyes fluttered before opening, the sunlight from her curtain hurting her blue orbs. She gingerly sat up and stretched her limbs before throwing the covers off her and jumping on her feet, refreshed and ready for anything today. She had figured that now that the hormonal teen had rested that she would be able to discuss a few things with her; particularly about the divorce court that had been bumped up to two weeks.

Ino had seen the tired look in Hinata's eyes yesterday; she knew that the girl was fed-up with everything, but she hoped that she wouldn't give up. Once the divorce was final, both Hinata, Konan, and herself could rest. _And enjoy the millions.._ Ino smirked at the thought of seeing Sasuke's face drop at the judge once he/she announced that he would have to pay the bluette alimony.

With that glorious thought in her head, the barbie decided to head to the basement to wake the sleeping beauty, but stopped in her tracks when something caught her eye. On the floor next to her dresser lied Hinata's work clothes, but that was not what the blonde was staring at with intense. In the pure white apron lied a note that stuck out. Ino became achingly curious at what lied inside of the note. Was it a love note? A phone number?...A coupon for shoes? Ino crossed out the last thought; the last thing the bluette would want was a coupon. So the other two stayed in the blonde's head, and she couldn't help but squeal at the idea of the ex-Hyuuga having a fling with another man other than Sasuke.

With incredible speed, the blonde feel to her knees and started to crawl toward the uniform, a sneaky grin on her lips. Once her hand laid atop the white note, she covered her mouth to keep the giggles from erupting into laughter. She hated to admit it, but she was a sucker for gossip. Once she looked at the contents of the note, she would happily chatter to the nonchalant gothic woman and the bun-headed lady about their bluette's boy-toy.

_DING-DONG!_

Ino cursed under her breath and slid the note into her pajama pants before zooming off towards the door. She caught her footing before she ran into the wooden door, still a little drowsy from her sleep.

"INO-CHAN!", yelled a kiddy voice and soon the blonde was looking into the smiling face of Tenten, and feeling two small arms latch onto one of her legs.

"Long time no see, Ino.", said the bun-headed brunette when she stepped into the house, Ino close behind her trying to unlatch the happy child from her.

"Likewise, Ten. I've been trying to get in touch with you since last month. I thought you were avoiding me for some odd reason." Tenten scratched her head and laughed anxiously; she almost forgot that Ino didn't know that she was in jail and on house arrest. She then looked down at her free ankle and almost smirked. Like a bracelet could hold her in.

"Nah, not at all! I had lost my phone a month ago, and I went to go visit my Aunt after I found out about Neji!" Ino looked at her in confusion. What had happened between her and Neji? The blonde looked down at Tenji and saw that at the name of his father, his white eyes became sad, which made the barbie stop from asking Tenten about what happened. Ino decided to put the conversation in a different direction.

"So what brings you to my humble adobe?", asked said girl as she ushered the two to sit while she brought out some chocolate muffins that the bluette had made the other day. Tenten took a muffin before speaking.

"I just wanted to visit you guys and see what was up.", she swallowed and looked around. "Speaking of visiting, where is that little mousey?" Tenji started to stuff the muffin in his mouth but was given a look by Tenten. He neatly set down the muffin and tore off a huge piece.

"She's probably still asleep, let me go get her!" Ino excuse herself and bounced down the hall towards the basement door before knocking on it and opening the door.

"WAKEY-WAKEY, EGGS AND BAKEY!",yelled the blonde as she stepped down the stairs, only to be brought to an empty bed. Ino looked around and saw that the girl's flats were gone and that the dresser was still open. _She must have left early.._ Ino perturbed up the stairs and closed the door.

_Is she still upset with me?_ "Hinata must have left early this morning.", said the blonde as she sat down next to the brunette, depression on her features that made Tenten worry.

"Don't be upset Ino. I'm pretty sure that she just wanted to get a head start on her job at Ichiraku. I heard that that place is so hectic that employees stay at work four hours overtime due to the amount of customers they get.", said the brunette in an uplifting tone. Ino slumped forward and leaned her elbows on her knees.

"If that were so, she wouldn't have left her uniform on the floor.." Tenten patted the girl's slumped back. Both women turned to the sound of a gasp from the little boy and soon her jumped on the blondes lap, nearly knocking the wind from her with his growing stature.

"Ino-chan, do you know where the note I left Hina-chan is?!", exclaimed the cutie pie. "It was for mommy!" Tenten smiled lightly at her son and patted down soon of his long, brown strands.

"Tenji is persistent to give me his little note." She turned towards Ino. "Do you happen to know where it is?" _Oh, so it wasn't a love note.._ Ino sheepishly smiled at the two before quickly giving the note to Tenten. The brunette glared at the nervous blonde then. Ino tried to look innocently at the two, but their accusing glares made her waver.

"What?"

Tenji started to shake his mother's arm. "Look at it mommy!" Tenten sent one more glare at the blonde before opening the note.

Tenji's voice shook the room. "Isn't she pretty, mommy? She looks so sad, but so pretty!" Tenten stared wide-eyed at the picture, which caused Ino's nervous posture to turn to one of question.

"What is it Tenten?" Ino snatched the picture from the shocked woman and she too, stared at the photograph in horror.

In the picture, a woman was tied up and gagged; her blonde hair matted and her tearing blue eyes desperately begging for someone to help her. Ino's eyes lit up in recognition of the woman.

"That is Anne-Sophie Grantaine!" she looked at Tenten's angry gaze. "That's Deidara's mother!"

Tenten grabbed the little boy's shoulders and glared hard at him, making him tremble with fear from his mothers brown eyes being blinded my anger.

"Where did you find this?" The boy's eyes became teary when his mother's voice held a calm venom.

"D-Did I do something w-." Tenten shook him a little, not knowing that she was hurting her son.

"Answer the question, Tenji!" Ino pried the woman's fingers from her son and pushed her back roughly.

"Calm down, Tenten! He's your son!" The boy cried more at the yelling before looking back at his mother, wanting to answer her question.

"S-Sasuke-kun said that I could have i-it! He s-said that he didn't need it no more!" Ino slowly sat beside the hysterical boy on the floor and pulled him to her a little.

"You were with Sasuke. Tell me", she looked at the guilty-looking brunette woman before looking back at Tenji. "Just what was he doing at the time."

The boy wiped his eyes with his shirt and looked down at the floor. "He and Daddy were packing some things to go on their trip to France." He looked up at his mother. "Sasuke and Daddy left right after Kin's obsnutrition appointment."

Ino looked between the two. What was Neji doing at this Kin's doctor appointment?

"Obstetrician.", Tenten corrected him and gave him a faint smile. "Sorry about my anger. Mommy just gets crazy sometime." Ino got up and started to pace, her mind switching to the subject at hand.

"That's why Deidara decided to make the record. He wanted to distract the media while he was going to try and save his mother." Tenten went over to Tenji and started smoothing down his hair, worry marring in her face.

"We have to do something. And fast.", said Tenten. Ino nodded before calling the one person she could count on; Konan.

* * *

Konan threw her phone in her car compartment before exiting her vehicle. A chauffeur rushed towards the car while bidding her a good morning. The girl nodded and walked up the long path towards her mansion and soon up the many stair leading towards the front door, a McDonald's bag in her hand. She didn't want to be bothered by Pein's calls right now; she had finally got her mcmuffin and she was dead set on enjoying it on her patio. She almost broke a grin when she smelt the two, yes, two mcmuffins delicious scent. She had to make up for the day she didn't get one.

She stepped through the double doors to be met with the maids, who bowed before her.

"Is there anything we can do for you, Konan-sama?" She took off her shoes at the door and looked towards the old women. Since when did they get so wrinkly?

"Take the day off.",said the monotonous voice of the Gothic woman and with that she went outside to the back. The maids quickly followed her though.

"But madame, you told us to take the day off yesterday! We surely do not mean to take advantage of your kindness!", said the both of them in union. Konan looked at her bag in want and turned around to face the women.

"Are you two defying me?" Her icy voice streaked fear through them, and they shook their heads so fast that their graying bun almost came loose. She turned and went on her way to the patio.

The women had been her maids since she was a little girl. Her father owned an oil-rig in America, which supported her fancy lifestyle. Even though she was rich, she decided at a young age that she wanted to be a personal assistant, which her parents didn't approve of, but who was she to care? She moved out of the house and got her own place, right down the street from her parents.

She carefully placed her bag on the table and sat in her seat, ready to devour the deliciousness.

"KONAN! Where the hell are you?!" The woman sighed and cursed loudly. She grabbed her bag and decided to hide behind counter of the bar she had on the patio. Nothing would stop her from eating, not even her crazy boss Pein.

She quickly tore open the wrapper and bit into her sandwich, taking quick looks behind the counter to see if the raging orange-haired male was in the area. _I knew I should have answered my phone! _She soon started on the next sandwich, looking at the many liquor bottles across from her. She would deal with him once she ate the last bite.

Just as she was about to throw it in her mouth, long fingers grabbed the sandwich. She glared above her head at the emotionless-faced male holding her last bite.

"Give me my food, Pein." He looked at the piece of food and back at her. She almost screamed when her placed it in his mouth. Konan grabbed at her hair at the horrible sight.

"How dare you grace your lips with my food, you disgusting mortal!", yelled the now angry woman as she stood to face him from behind the bar. Pein swallowed the food and smirked at her.

"How dare you cut off your phone." She had an urge to grab one of the long bottles behind her and smash it on his skull, but dismissed it when she saw his purple-ringed eyes glaring at her. She sighed before leaning against the bar.

"What is it now?"

"Explain yourself." Konan held her head. _Here we go again..._

"Can I ask what you're talking about?", she decided to take a nicer approach.

"No."

"Then I can't possibly answer your question, Pein." His face remained emotionless.

"I didn't ask you a question." Konan's eye started to twitch. "I simply ordered you to explain yourself."

" Ordered me? Have you been smoking?" She started to seethe as he sighed and sat down on the stool in front of her.

"You know that I do not smoke, Konan." She continued to glare at his cocky mood.

"How would I know?" She glared harder when he gave her a small smirk.

"You've kissed me quite a number of times to know that my mouth hasn't touched such luxuries."

The steaming woman's face started to turn red slightly. "How many times do I have to tell you, I was drunk! I didn't know what I was doing!"

"Sure you didn't, which is why you still remember that moment." She frowned at his sarcasm, her blush still on her cheeks.

"What ningen let you in?!" She turned towards the open doorway. "Taro!" A sound of running was heard before a teen emerged. He looked around before finding Konan, and running towards her, slightly tripping over his butler shoes.

"Y-Yes, milady?" Pein continued to smirk at her, which caused her to become uneasy. She turned towards the nervous teen, her grayish eyes burning through his.

"Did you let this evil ningen into my house?" The teen averted his eyes around.

"Y-Yes, milady.", he shook at the evil gleam in her eyes.

"You know what this means, don't you filthy mortal?" He shook some more at her words, worried that he would lose his job. He remained quiet as she walked towards him with the glare still on her face. She came close to him, their nose nearly touching. He decided to avert his eyes once more, and lowered them down to her black bodysuit and combat boots. He looked back up and was met with her breasts, that were showing modestly.

He blushed. Konan smirked a little and petted his brown locks, not noticing his licentious stare at her chest.

"You're on cleaning duty, little dude. I'm sure that the kitchen staff would love to have another cleaning servant in their area." He was knocked out his gaze and quickly bowed before the two before scurrying away, his face still red. Konan stood, staring after him.

"Teens, you just don't understand them sometimes."

"Seems to me that you understood him well.", said Pein. Konan turned towards him with suspicion.

"What do you mean by that?" Pein stood and walked around the bar, making himself a drink.

"You know what I mean. You're having a fling with the butler boy." Konan sighed before moving over towards the steaming man.

"I'm not having a fling with anybody." He downed the drink before looking at her.

"That's the exact same thing you said about _Ramon_-" Konan cut him off.

"You're still talking about that lawyer from Lagos - I told you, it was for business matters!" He 'tched' before making himself another drink. Konan once again sighed.

"Is this because he was a lawyer?" She heard the glass break in his hand. Those glasses were from Denmark! He turned his angry eyes towards her.

"Not only was he lawyer, but he was male model! What else would a woman do with a black attractive man that is a lawyer _and_ a model ?"

Konan backed away from him, a little weirded out. "Okay...So I kissed him one time. No big deal." She thought of Ramon once more. Yup, he was gorgeous, but now he was a happily married man. He had gotten married this month is what the postcard he sent said.

"One time too many.."

"My love life is of no concern to you, Pein." He shook the glass off his clothes then inspected his non-injured hands.

"You work for me." She narrowed her eyes at him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He stared back at her, his eyes unblinking.

"That I own you." He said it as if it were obvious. _That was it.._ She marched towards him and grabbed his collar. He started to smirk at her raging frame.

"Why you little-" Just as she was about to break his nose, Ino's screeching voice sounded in the house.

"Konan!" Said woman let go of his collar and walked towards the two panting women in the doorway. Konan rolled her eyes at them before calling in one of the butlers to fetch them some water.

Tenten and Ino plopped down in one of the chairs surrounding Konan's large patio table. Tenten spoke first, gripping her chest a little.

"Why the Hell do you have...long ass stairs coming to your house?! Do you walk all of these steps everyday?!" Konan sat down at the table with them, watching the butler set down the glasses.

"Nice to see you to after your long absence." Tenten quieted down and started drink her water. Pein soon came and took a seat beside Konan, right across from the blonde, who was chugging down the water.

Ino sat down the glass and sighed before looking up at the stoic male. Her tired expression turned to sheer excitement.

"Pein! It's so nice to finally see you! Did you enjoy your leadership conference?"

"The conference was exceptional. The weather in Antarctica however was divine." Konan snorted in her as she held her glass.

"How ironic that the weather matched his personality." Ino giggled a bit before glancing at Tenten, who was also looking at her. They hated to bring bad news.

Konan looked towards the women, ignoring Pein's blank look. "What do you witches want?"

Ino looked at Tenten before speaking. "It's about Deidara. Both Tenten and I feel that he may going there for a different motive other than the song he is recording." Pein and Konan sat up straight at hearing the blonde name.

"What?" Tenten reached into her bag and pulled out the photo, hesitating a little before setting it in front of Konan.

Konan peered at the picture, not believing her eyes. Deidara's mother was tied up and gagged. She blinked and looked at it again.

"Anne-Sophie. How did you get this picture?", asked the orange-haired male as he picked up the photo and stared at it hard. Tenten stared at her Tenji, who was holding one of the young maid's hands as they walked toward the pool, merriment on Tenji's face.

"My son said that Sasuke gave it to him. Why someone would give a child such a thing is beyond me."

Pein sighed before standing up. "Of course the Uchiha would have something to do with this." He started to pace while looking at the picture.

Konan rubbed her temples. "What would Sasuke want with Deidara's mother? It doesn't make any sense." Ino shrugged and looked down sadly at the table. She couldn't even begin to imagine how he must fell; she wouldn't know what to do if her own mother was in this situation.

Pein continued to pace around the patio and soon went towards the big pool outside, the picture still in his hands.

"We should try and stop this Deidara guy before he leaves.", Tenten was about to stand up but was stopped by Pein's voice.

"He left this morning around 1:00 am.", he looked back down at the picture. "So this was why he was in such a hurry to get to Paris." Ino nearly screeched again, but was subsided by Konan's small glare.

The women looked to Pein with questioning stares. How did he know Deidara was gone? He spared the women a glance, but looked a little longer at Konan before taking out his phone.

"Akatsuki members always notify me when they travel out." He glared a little a Konan before resuming his search through his phone. He looked closer at his phone before muttering a curse.

Konan looked towards him with slight worry. "What is it, Pein?"

He looked at the women before looking up at the sky.

"Looks like Sasori left for Paris also. But with the Hyuuga." Tenten growled a little.

"Neji..." Pein looked at her with a cool look.

"Not Neji, but..." Konan began to stare in shock at her boss. Tenten literally pulled down her buns, slight horror on her face.

"Hinata?!", Yelled Konan

"My baby!", screamed Ino before she fainted.

* * *

Hinata sneezed and squinted her eyes at the bright sunlight as she carefully walked down the stairs leading from the jet. She was a bit light-headed, but glad that she was here. Sasori was ahead of her, already carrying his bags to the Chrysler parked out in the deserted area. He looked back at her as he handed his bags to the driver.

"Hurry it up, Hyuuga." She acknowledged the impatient man and hurried down the steps. Kankuro and Temari came after her, grinning at the empty area.

"It was a good idea for Gaara to put his private port here away from civilization.", complimented Kankuro as he gave his luggage to another driver that was in a red Chrysler. Kankuro got into the back seat of the car. Temari followed him but turned towards Sasori and Hinata one last time.

"Give us a call when you two have finished. Good luck." She nodded towards the two before closing the door.

Hinata waved towards the moving vehicle before following Sasori into their respective car. Hinata buckled her seat belt while listening to the driver.

"Where to, Sir?"

Sasori started to cut on his phone, but answered the Japanese-speaking french man.

"To Hotel Ritz Paris my good man." Hinata was a little surprised by the redhead's slight french accent that he just put on. The driver laughed and started up the car.

So they were in Paris? Hinata had always wanted to go to Paris; it was the city of love. She became excited and let down the window to see if what Sasori had said was true.

She gasped in pure bliss when the Eiffel Tower came to her view. It was bigger than she ever imagined it would be! The bluette grabbed Sasori's arm and pointed out the window.

"The Eiffel Tower! Do you see it, Sasori-san?!" Sasori glanced out his window before looking back down at the suddenly excited girl with a small smile. She looked back out the window. Once again the driver laughed, his voice light and feathery.

"We have firzt timers hear in the citzy of love?" Hinata loved the driver's accent; it reminded her of the chick-flicks that her and Ino used to watch. _Ino.._ Hinata pushed back her guilt, promising herself to call the girl, and let herself marvel over the buildings. She noticed that wherever they went, people stopped and waved to the car. Hinata shyly waved back and blushed when a french boy dropped his groceries with a look of shock on his handsome face. Were all people in Paris beautiful?

She gasped when a hand pulled her away from the window. She looked back at Sasori's annoyed face, wondering what she did wrong.

"Remember what we came here to do, darling."Once again stunned by his french accent, she nodded and sat back straight in the seat. She had forgotten that Sasori was a celebrity; he didn't want to draw any attention to himself when most thought he was still in Japan. She had also forgotten that she was _**Sasuke Uchiha's **__wife_; even though most didn't know her, they would once she showed up with Sasori. Just how were they going to distract the paparazzi?

"Here, put this on." _Oh,_thought the girl as a long, black wig was shoved into her hands. She ducked and quickly adjusted the wig before sitting up and looking at the now brown-haired male. The driver glanced into the rear-view mirror again before laughing, quickly annoying Sasori.

"You two are very, very amuzing creaturez! I hope too see you two soon!" He stopped in front of a gigantic, beautifully architectured building. "Have a beautiful time!" Sasori gave the man money, which made the driver gasp, and hurriedly went to the back of the vehicle to retrieve his things. Hinata quietly bid the man goodbye and stepped out onto the plaza street and smoothed down her yellow sundress. All of her drowsiness was gone; nervousness took its place.

There was definitely no turning back now; she was in Paris, a faraway travel from Japan. And she didn't even have a clue what to do now. _This is what I get for not thinking things through..._ She shook out her negative thoughts; she had come to stop her husband from terrorizing Deidara's mother. She didn't know why, but she didn't doubt that he did do it. When Sasori told her, she immediately believed him; why would Sasori lie to her? And how he looked when he told her explained his truth; he was angry and upset. Plus, it did sound like something Sasuke would do. Gaara did tell her that he and Sasuke were involved in drugs when they were younger; maybe he never stopped after Gaara did.

She sighed and ran her fingers through her black wig. She heard Sasori grunt before a pair of dark Versace sunglasses were shoved in her face. She thanked Sasori before slipping him on and watched him put his own on before ushering her to walk beside him. Many people stopped to wave at the pair while some stood still and watched with apparent wonder, wanting to know who they were.

When they walked into the hotel, two butlers grabbed Sasori's things and showed him to the stand, talking in french to the man. Hinata followed behind, frustrated. Oh how she wished she had paid attention to her french teacher! She knew only a little french, and that was Bon Voyage, if that was french at all. Sasori turned towards her and pointed to the lobby area.

"Wait there until I get back." The bluette nodded and went over to the comfy furniture.

She sighed in relief and picked up a magazine on the golden table in front of her. She was a bit worried about her body, she hadn't gotten but three hours of sleep before she went out and had been up ever since. Hopefully she wouldn't fall out due to fatigue. She smiled a bit before opening the magazine and reading its contents. To her doom, it was about Sakura. Fortunately, it was in french, which meant that the bluette could only look at the woman's beautiful green eyes and bright hair. She sighed in envy when she turned to the next page and saw the pinkette without any makeup, modeling a perfume fragrance for Uchiha. After all of this drama, Hinata would still have to go to the meeting on Thursday. It was a good thing that today was Sunday; she could rest for a day once this was over. She stretched her limbs a little, enjoying the sight of Paris through the big window next to her.

"L'OH SEIGNEUR ! !" Hinata looked up from her magazine and saw a crowd of women surrounding the entrance. Outside there were loads of people and some with flashing cameras. Bodyguards started pushing the women back, covering for the people of fame. Hinata sighed. Had Sasori choose the wrong hotel to go to? Hinata pushed up the big sunglasses and peered a little harder to see the famous people.

Hinata squeaked and pushed the magazine to her face, trying to cover herself. The center of the commotion was MGC. Sasuke, Naruto, Shikamaru, and Neji. She peeked from behind the book again to see Sasori making his way towards her, a smirk on his boyish face while he took off his sunglasses and showed his hazel eyes. He grabbed her arm and followed an elder man, most likely to their hotel room.

Sasori looked at her from his side. "Looks like I hit it on the mark." Hinata gulped and looked back at him.

"Is that a-a good thing?" Sasori pulled her closer and whispered in her ear, careful not to let the elderly man hear.

"It's going to make our job easier." He pulled away and gave her a meaningful look. She nodded back at him and looked down at her flats as she walked behind the men.

Right, it would make her job easier. With Sasuke being here at the famous hotel, she could stop him. But first, they needed to find Deidara. And then they needed to make up a plan. But what kind of plan? _It will come to us soon_...She decided that she would look at the French-inspired artwork while they were escorted to their rooms. _We need to come up with something and fast..._ She didn't finish the thought; if they didn't find out a plan soon, then Deidara and his mother would be doomed.

* * *

**There you go! I hope you all have enjoyed as much as I did writing it! I hope it surprised you and stirred emotions in you all. Once again, thank you all so much. Oh, I think that the number of chapters that I have for this story will be alot, maybe about fourty? I don't know right now. Anyway, REVIEW! ;)**


	13. Chapter 12: The Night in Paris

**_Chapter 12: The Night in Paris_**

**_"We'll always have Paris." _**  
_―_ _Howard Koch_

Once they were situated in the large room, Sasori pulled off the silky wig with a fling of his wrist and motioned the bluette over with a single wave. Hinata pulled her jacket closer to herself and joined him on the couch, watching him put down a frilly, laced envelope before gazing up at his victorious expression.

Hinata backed away a little from him, becoming uncomfortable with his stare on her.

"W-Why are you staring at me like that?" The young man smiled and pointed at the fancy looking envelope on the table. Hinata once again glanced at the thing again before hesitantly picking it up and awkwardly holding it in her hands. Was this what he wanted her to do?

Sasori's face etched towards that of sudden frustration when the bluette only picked at the lace. His patience with the dumbfounded girl ceased.

"Open the fucking envelope, Hyuuga."Sasori whispered harshly at her, careful not to startle or cause any commotion from other people on their floor. Hinata eyes widened at his unnecessary tone and then they narrowed. Just who did he think he was talking to her like that? Sure, Sasuke had disrespected her a lot, but that was the past. She wasn't going to let him get away with that one. The bluette threw the envelope down on the table and turned away from the redhead. Sasori became annoyed with her childish actions and soon shoved the envelope into her hands once again.

Hinata yanked off the stylish lace and opened the envelope, ignoring how Sasori glared holes in her wig.

"Read it aloud, Hyuuga." Hinata turned her head towards him, a slightly annoyed expression on her face.

"It's Hinata."

"Do I give a fuck?"

"Y-You should." Hinata ping-ponged.

"Why would I care for your name?"

"Because like it or not, in October we'll be close co-workers. " Hinata rolled her eyes at his shocked expression. She normally wasn't like this, but when she only had three hours of sleep, she became grumpy. She watched as he once again, glared at her.

"Just read the letter, Hyuuga." She sighed and looked down at the cursively fonted letters.

"Dear Hitachiin Sasori, you have been cordially invited to attend the 75th anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. Elipope Roman wedding on the 15th of July on Monday at 9:00 pm in the Hotel Ritz Paris ballroom." She looked at the smirking man and gave him a small smile. Sasori leaned forward towards her.

"I got this from the desk clerk in the lobby. So, what do you think?" Hinata grabbed his hands in hers and started to become jittery. Sasori gave her a quizzical look.

"I think that's great, Sasori-san!" The redhead face-palmed himself again before shaking her shoulders a bit, making the girl's wig come off completely.

"No, you stupid girl! Do you not get what this means?" Hinata shook her head and once again she started to be shook. "Mr. Elipope is the owner of most of the companies in Europe! Of course MGC is going to be there!" Recognition came into the girl's eyes and suddenly gripped the young man's wrists.

"M-M-MGC's going to b-be there?!" Sasori blankly stared at the startled girl and then sighed. He held her hands and gave them a squeeze, trying his best to keep the girl's eyes from drooping over from sudden exhaustion.

"Here's the plan full center: me and you will go to the gathering as a couple and as soon as the Uchiha is in the ballroom, you'll sneak out and break into his room and retrieve some sort of info on Anne-Sophie. It might mean another day here, but it's going to be worth it if we pull some info out of the Uchiha." Hinata hung on to every word he said, until confusion crossed her face at the last word.

"Anne-Sophie? Is that Deidara's mother?" Sasori sighed and pulled the drowsy girl to him, defeat on his face. She didn't protest as he wrapped his arms around her and started to pet her indigo locks. She snuggled into the warmth, forgetting that this was the sarcastic and (from what she had seen on the night of Sasuke's engagement party) slightly horny Sasori she had known for only a little while. Soon, she drifted off into dreamland, leaving the grinning Sasori up and alert.

He pulled out his phone and started to take pictures of he and the girl. Sasori then looked at the pictures and smirked before choosing the perfect blackmail.

"Let's see how many tweets this pic will get."

The bluette snored quietly on the mischievous redhead. He smiled as the tweets started to roll in.

"All there's left to do is wait…"

~()()()~

Hinata jumped in fright when she felt something heavy hit her face. She started to fumble with the material around her head that was nearly suffocating her in her sleep, until a sigh from across the room was heard and the clothing was gone from her red face, leaving her slightly panting and her heart beating fast. She looked around the room and saw the redhead, half-liddedly gazing from her from his casual position on the wall, dressed in all black.

"Put that on." said the young man, still burning his eyes into her lying form on the California king. Hinata grabbed the clothing and noticed that it was also black; a black shirt too small and black pants too small.

She nervously looked up at the nonchalant man while he simultaneously averted his gaze towards the window that showed the nightly hour of Paris.

"I-It's to small. I-I won't be able to breath in this."

"Stop eating so much then." Hinata stayed silent at this and slowly got up from the bed, careful not to _mistakenly_ roll her eyes at his statement. Sure she had been eating a lot, isn't that what a normal woman would do if they found out that their marriage was crumbling? She went into the bathroom and quickly changed into the dark attire. After literally squeezing in it, she looked at herself in the large, gold-trimmed mirror. Her curves showed more than usual and her hips were accented in the dark pants. Wasn't black supposed to slim you down a bit? Hinata turned to the side and saw that the myth was true.

Feeling relieved that she wasn't big yet, the girl bounded out of the bathroom to the impatient man. He looked her up and down, and feeling satisfied, nodded.

"Looks like you aren't gaining any weight at the moment." He came forth and slightly fluffed her hair a bit. "But your hair is a distraction. It'll have to do though" Sasori then sighed and moved his hands downward, letting his finger tips brushing her sides a little and a suggestive raise of his brow.

"Wanna do a quickie?"** That** was unexpected.

Hinata blushed and warily glared at him before slapping his lecherous hands away and waiting for the explanation on why she was woken up. Sasori sighed.

"I think that I know Deidara's exact location." Hinata's eyes widened and soon a grin came across her face. That could mean that the blonde was safe at the moment!

"W-What are we waiting for then? Let's go!" Before she could make it to the door, she was pulled back to the redhead's warm chest. She looked up and noticed that he was only slightly taller than her; a 5'9 to her 5'5.

"We need to be careful about going out though. MGC could be walking the hall this moment as we speak. We don't need to draw their attention now." Hinata nodded and went to grab her wig off the end table beside her, but her hand was slapped by Sasori. "And you can't use that."

"But the r-reason you got it was for a false identification, right?"

"Well I figure that since people already know that I was invited to the ball, that maybe I wouldn't have to cover up our identity." Hinata furrowed her brow.

"I-I need to cover up mine." Sasori shook his head at her defiant behavior. What had happened to the shy little girl he had known? She must have been hanging around Konan too long.

"No, Hyuuga. Listen.", he grabbed the confused girl's shoulders. "If Sasuke finds out you're here, my guess is that he'll try to track you down for your reasoning."

"How is that making my job any easier?" He smirked at her.

"You're going to let him 'find' you, making him slip up and extend his stay here, and possibly, extend the date in which Deidara's father can pay him the money before something bad happens to Anne-Sophie!" The bluette stayed silent, running over his _rushed_ plan three times in her head. Would Sasuke want to track her down? So was she going to confront him about the drug dealing or not?

"I-I don't think that will w-work." Sasori patted her back and turned to get his wallet.

"It already has." Hinata cautiously walked behind him, fearing the smirk she heard in his voice.

"W-What do you mean by that?" He grabbed her hand and walked towards the door, that smirk still on his face.

"You'll see." Hinata looked at his face once more before letting him lead her to the long stairs going down instead of the elevator. She soon wanted to scream in agony over the on going steps of stairs. _Aren't we on the fifth floor?!_!

* * *

Sasuke was livid, and wanted blood. He wanted to crush a skull, wring a neck, chop off a couple of fingers and pull out a couple of hearts. That's how angry he was, and slowly his inky eyes were turning to red orbs.

This didn't go unnoticed by Shikamaru, who had situated his seat to be beside the window of the gold, imperial suite of Hotel Ritz Paris. Naruto, however, came from the kitchen and bounced beside the brooding Uchiha on the couch with a bowl of microwavable ramen in his hands, oblivous of the tensed atmosphere.

"Aw cheer up, teme! You can't just sulk around all night! We're in Paris, lighten up a bit!" Sasuke remained quiet, letting his glare bore onto the wide screen in front of him. Naruto slurped up his ramen and watched as the basketball player dunked.

**THUMP**

Naruto choked a bit on his ramen when a remote was thrown in Shikamaru's direction with the intention to crack open his skull.

Shikamaru barely dodged the thing, and was then staring at the Uchiha in disbelief of his actions.

"What the hell Sasuke!" The Uchiha just glared at his lawyer, who had recovered from the previous attack.

Naruto, after getting his noodles down, looked at the scene before him. Why was Sasuke throwing inanimate objects in Nara's direction, and why was Shikamaru ignoring Sasuke this whole time?

"Is there something I missed?" asked the blonde male. Sasuke ignored Naruto and continued to glare at Nara. Shikamaru took his glare to Naruto.

"Father Uchiha is pissed that Sasuke's dealing drugs and is threatening to take Sasuke's CEO position from Uchiha and give it to me if he hears about another thing that could taint the name Uchiha."Shikamaru dodged yet another inanimate object from the Uchiha, this time a vase, when he told the blonde about Sasuke's hardships.

Naruto dropped his bowl at that and started to yell at the emo man beside him, who simply put his ear plugs in his ear and turned up his Ipod. He didn't want to deal with them today. Naruto continued to bellow at the brooding male.

"I told you this was a bad idea, teme! Now look at the position you've put us in! Fugaku's gonna squeal this to my dad! If my dad finds out, it's goodbye to Namikaze forever! Are you listening TEME!-"

A knock on the door sounded and Naruto went towards it, but not before poking Sasuke in the nose, which earned him a seething glare.

When the Uzumaki threw open the door, a French woman bowed before giving them a lacy letter and leaving them. Naruto snorted and tore open the letter.

His eyes lightened when he saw that it was the anniversary of one of his father's close friends, Elipope.

He turned towards the men in excitement. "I think I know what will keep old man Fugaku from shitting on our boy!" Shikamaru sighed and rubbed the back of his neck; hearing the energetic boy's loud voice made his head hurt.

"What could possibly stop Fugaku from stomping down to Paris and wringing his neck?"

"Making connections with one of Europe's most finest business men, Elipope Roman!" Shikamaru sighed once again when Sasuke pulled his earplugs from his ear and looked toward the grinning blonde, a infamous twinkle in his inky eyes. _Here we go again.._

Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "There's only one problem though." All eyes turned towards him and he let out the bad news. "Dad and Uncle Mada are going to be there."

Sasuke and Shikamaru groaned simultaneously in defeat. Namikaze and Uchiha going to the same place. Sasuke slumped down in his seat, a deadly aura coming from him. Madara and him never got along. One of the reasons was because his uncle was only five years older than him and that Madara had always pestered and teased him about his failures when he was little. He had always thought that if he met that sneaky Madara again, that it would be too soon. He didn't even want to think about _Minato_..

"Trouble is always around the corner it seems. So troublesome..", muttered Shikamaru. He looked out towards the front of the window and saw that the crowd of women were still in front of the hotel, hoping to sneak a peek at one of the MGC. "Still a full crowd out there. Maybe you should go on the balcony and wave to the nice women." Sasuke snorted and made a face at the wet ramen on the floor.

Shikamaru persuaded him some more. "It would help with the media's view of you. Most think you're just a handsome emo guy who's dating the precious Sakura Haruno." Sasuke shivered at the name of the woman, but sat still for a minute before glaring at the lazy male and storming out onto the balcony in his pajamas, making the noise already outside go ballistic as he closed the clear doors behind him.

Shikamaru chuckled at the scene before him, some were literally crying with tears at seeing their dream man.

Shikamaru's eyes softened when he averted his sight at the Eiffel Tower standing tall and proud in the night sky, lights making it shine like a star.

They were too young to be out in the business world like this. They had grown up too fast, too fast to enjoy life right now. Shikamaru's eyes hardened all of a sudden and he clenched his fists. But why had they tried so hard? To become responsible? To make their parents proud? Or just to be powerful? He didn't know why he tried so hard, all he had wanted was a normal family and a normal job with normal co-workers and friends. Now he finds himself at every launch party, every college party (even though he was too smart to be in college), every single MGC board meeting, and every thing that has to do with business. But he's a lawyer. A very successful lawyer with a 90% win rate on all of his past clients.

The lazy man looked back towards the screaming women.

That's when he saw indigo and red down the street. He looked closely and saw, with surprise, that it was Sasuke's wife being dragged by a red-haired gentleman. Shikamaru sighed and leaned back in his chair, too lazy to comprehend what was happening at the moment. His stomach growled.

_Where the hell is Neji with the pizza?_

Naruto clumsily hurried out the bathroom, pajama pants bottoms on and a tooth brush in his mouth, waving a phone around in the air like a fly was in the room.

"One of the Akatsuki members just tweeted a photo of Hinata! She's here at the same hotel as teme!" Shikamaru got up and took the phone from the panicking man and sighed when he looked at the picture.

The indigo beauty lay smiling on the red-haired male's chest as he smirked towards the camera, the caption on the picture labeled **BLACKMAIL**.

Shikamaru then went to the window to see that the couple was gone, whisked away in the night of Paris.

"Shit."

* * *

Hinata tiredly panted as she was dragged down the many streets by the fast male. He seemed to know all the streets of Paris, for he only stopped when the cars were passing in the streets. Her legs were burning and her throat was getting dry. She didn't know if she could keep up with him this long.

"S-Sasori-san, c-can we rest for a minute." He only looked back at her before dragging her into an alleyway nearby.

She leaned against the wall and tried to catch her breath while Sasori looked around the corner to see if anyone was coming. Hinata, while her mind was spinning, decided to question him on his suspicious behaviour.

"Why are w-we running? I thought you said that you wanted your identity to be known?"

He folded his arms and turned away from her, a slight frown on his face.

"I do want my identity to be revealed, but not when there are _french kissers_ littering the streets tonight. Did you not see that huge crowd that we passed by? They were literally going wild over the celebrity in the window." Hinata blankly stared at the man as he started to brag about how 'sexy' and important he was and how him being here in Paris is a threat to his life.

Hinata sighed and leaned against the wall. She _really_ wanted to see Deidara now.

Her eyes became hard as she thought of the blonde. What would she say to him once she saw him? Should she apologize upfront, or let him talk first? She rubbed her bare arms and suddenly wished she had her jacket. Would he even want her here in Paris, meddling in his family affairs?

"-and now more and more hearts are going to be broken now that probably half of the world knows that we're dating-" Hinata snapped her gaze to the blabbering man.

"W-WHAT?!" Sasori stopped and shushed the wide-eyed girl before looking around the corner to see if any commotion was stirred.

Hinata backed away from him, thinking that he had gone off the edge and that he was a crazy person, like Uncle Madara.

"W-We're not dating, Sasori-san! Why would anyone would think that?!" Sasori glared at her, offended that she had seemed to object to 'courting' him and to the plan he had.

"You're not a little precious jem yourself, girl. Do you know how many women would kill and die for your position? Consider yourself blessed that you even have my conversation." Hinata pulled on her hair.

"Sasori-san, what have you done!" He snorted and glared at her rising voice.

"I _might have_ posted a picture of you and me in the hotel room, but it's not as bad as it looks." He took out his phone and handed it to the frazzled girl.

Hinata's jaw dropped as she stared in horror at herself and the smirking Sasori on twitter. He looked at it from behind, a small smirk on his face. He pointed to the number of tweets it received.

"See? It's not as bad as it looks. It was supposed to be a friendly friend-friend gesture, but you know how the media takes things these days." _**4,000,000 tweets on Sasori-Hina**_

Hinata couldn't come up with any words. Sasori and her were on Twitter TOGETHER in a very suggesting position. If you looked at the photo, you would think that she was smiling on him rather than sleeping. _Oh God, WHY did you bless me with the ability to smile when I sleep?!_

The bluette suddenly became upset. She was a married woman on twitter with another man! That screamed cheater. She gripped the phone in her hands. _And if Sasuke sees it..._

She stopped the thought when Sasori took it from her hands and gave her a comforting smile.

"I only did it so that it would attract the Uchiha to finding you. That was part of the plan." She pouted at him.

"B-But why didn't you tell me you were planning on doing t-that sort of thing."

"Because you would have flaked out." True, she would have, but him putting her on Twitter without permission was a violation in her right to privacy. Did the blunt man even know what privacy meant?

She heard him sigh. "It's no big deal Hyuuga. It's not like you actually cheated on Sasuke. You know, the man that _actually_ cheated on you and basically confessed it to the public.", his voice held sarcasm, much like Deidara's had held the night he straightened her out. Hinata nodded in understanding.

She wasn't going to stand up for Sasuke anymore. That was her promise to Deidara.

When she thought about it, she shouldn't care what he thought. He wasn't thinking of how he felt when he left her for Sakura, so should she care if he saw her in a picture with a guy, who might have been her f_riend_ and not her _lover_? The weight lifted off Hinata as she convinced herself not to worry.

This was the only way that seemed to by Deidara's father time to pay Sasuke, or time for Deidara and Sasori to locate Anne-Sophie.

Sasori gestured her to follow him around the corner. She noticed that he had stopped but kept walking. If they wanted to find Deidara, they needed to hurry before he relocated.

"Hyuuga, over here." She turned and saw him enter into the building next to the alley-way and a sweat-drop appeared on her face.

So they were here this whole time? So they had wasted time. Hinata shrugged and entered the building, a nervous look on her face, but determination in her eyes.

She prayed that the blonde would be happy to see her.

~()()()~

Sasuke winked at the screaming women before waving them goodbye and closing the double doors. His small smile was replaced with a smirk when he saw Neji come through the door, pizza in one hand and his phone to his ear.

Naruto 'yayed' before diving for the pizza, in which Neji swiftly dodged the hungry man, never missing a beat in his talk with their agent. Sasuke fell on the bed and stared at the ceiling, peering at the gold boideri it had.

He has been ignoring his finance's call since he had arrived and he had been bailing out on the gathering parties and conferences in Paris, leaving Neji to mingle with the estranged CEOs and executives. He didn't want to think about work right now, he had only came to Paris to collect money from one of his underground drug dealers, one of which was named Tshikyo Mondine. Instead of sealing, he was using, and had soon grown into a $400,00 debt. Sasuke had given him time to collect the money, but he was ignoring him and signing off his threats as one of a child.

Sasuke smirked. He surely didn't think that now. The Uchiha turned towards the crying blonde.

"Make sure that Sai is watching her closely. One slip up of his can mess up the whole thing." Naruto stopped his pouting on the floor and watched Sasuke.

"I did my part by tracking her down! Why can't Shika do it?!"

Shikamaru glared, not wanting to be in the hot seat. "I made an oath not to be in criminal statuses when I became a lawyer, knucklehead." Naruto pointed to the busy Hyuuga on the phone.

"Why can't Neji do it?" Sasuke glared at Naruto.

"Because he's has been traveling throughout Europe all night and is persuading our agent to talk to the editors of Vogue about pushing back our photo shoot that was supposed to be tomorrow."

"Why can't you check on the woman?" Sasuke smirked and lied back down on the bed.

"Because I'm sleepy."

"I'm sleepy too, teme!" Naruto waved his hands in the air. "Can't the photo be enough for right now? You saw with your own two eyes that she's not escaping anytime soon!" Sasuke shrugged and ran his fingers through his hair.

Shikamaru butted in, a reprimanding look in his brown eyes. "Remember the plan. After the gathering of Elipope, if that Mondine guy doesn't have the money, we'll ship the woman to Russia and let them deal with her. No shooting of any kind, am I clear?"

"Yeah yeah, I hear ya."

"Whatever.", said the Uchiha. Shikamaru looked at him warily.

"I mean it, Uchiha. No gun violence of any kind." Sasuke nodded his head and went into the kitchen, wanting to get away from the fatherly Shikamaru.

There was a reason why Shikamaru and his father got along so well; their mindset was the same way. It's just that Fugaku was more scolding that Shikamaru.

When the Uchiha went into the kitchen, he grabbed a slice of pizza and leaned in one of the chairs. Neji ended his talk on the phone and looked at Sasuke, pure exhaustion in his eyes. Who wouldn't be exhausted after traveling all over Europe most of the day? Sasuke worried a little about his best friend, but didn't let it show.

"Dish it." Neji sighed and shook his head, letting his long brown hair bend over his shoulders.

"There's no way we can miss that photo shoot tomorrow. Kakashi says that they've been planning it for months now and that we've been pushing it off for too long. A crowd of fans are supposed to show up. This will mess up the media's thoughts of us." _Shit._ Sasuke sighed.

"Looks like we won't be able to visit Mondine in the morning." The Uchiha shook his head and grabbed Neji's phone off the table. That's when Naruto bounded in and grabbed three slices of pizza, momentarily sticking his tongue out at the annoyed Neji and finding a seat at the large table. Shikamaru then came in, his eyes tiredly gracing the food before also grabbing himself some.

Most of the time they ate at restaurants, but now in Paris, you couldn't walk in at night without being seen by lifetime fans.

Naruto looked around at his friends, a little put-down by their tired gazes.

"Come guys! Cheer up!" Neji looked his way and sent him a meaningful look. "After all this business jazz is gone, the real fun can begin!" Sasuke nodded and look on his twitter page.

Shikamaru smirked. "I wouldn't say that, Naruto. We have two married men holding us back from partying." Naruto grinned and patted Sasuke's back hard. Neji smiled lightly at the two.

Sasuke brushed his bangs from his eyes and looked at Shikamaru.

"Has that ever stopped me before?" He started to ignore the chatter between his colleagues and turned his full attention on the phone.

There was a lot of talk about Sasori, a member of Akatsuki, and on the end of every tweet they hooked 'Hina' at the end. Sasuke became curious of the certain tweet line and soon clicked on a link.

"-And I was like 'don't put too much sauce on the noodles' and she went 'fof so nee' or something like that! I was so mad because the ramen was being abused and not loved like old man Ichiraku had does it! But you know not all noodle shops are good li-"

**_CRACK!_**

"-ke...old man...Ichiraku?" The three surprised men stared at the cracked phone in the Uchiha's hands. Shikamaru sighed and shook his head.

Sasuke calmly set the phone down, so carefully that the men didn't hear it sound on the table, and walked into the bedroom before closing the door and locking it.

Neji looked towards the two men, obliviousness in his eyes and walked towards the phone. "What's his problem?" No one answered as the Hyuuga-heir picked up his cracked screen Iphone and looked at what it held.

Neji just stared at the picture before looking at the two men. And then looking back at the photo. Then back at the two men, who were staring him down.

"Hinata-sama has found a new man?"

Shikamaru nodded and Naruto nervously looked the other way. Neji looked back at the phone, a sudden protectiveness coming over him. Even though he didn't favor the bluette, she was still his cousin, someone who he had known most of his life. So why did he do that to her?

He peered closely and saw that the background of the picture held a big window that showed the Eiffel Tower as clear as day.

Neji calmly looked back at the men. "And she is in Paris?" It sounded more like a statement than a question, but Naruo nodded nonetheless. Neji made sure to put the phone down before letting the information settle in. A small smirk came to his face, which shocked Shikamaru and Naruto.

"It's good to see that Hinata-sama has moved on. I'm happy for her in a way." He looked back down at the phone and stared at her face a little more, a sudden hit of guilt hitting him before he pushed it back. "Uchiha should have known not to try and play a Hyuuga. That is what you'll gain in the end: nothing."

The three men just sat silently and listened to the smashing of furniture and glass from the young man. That's when the blunt truth was known by the men sitting at the table.

Their best friend, _Sasuke Uchiha_, was _in/still in_ love with his wife, _Hinata Hyuuga._

Is he really in love, or is he just jealous of her moving on? They all knew that if Sasuke was jealous, he would make a sarcastic comment and move on. But this was a different side they had seen. He was cracking and showing how he really felt about the ex-Hyuuga. But they all figured that it was too late for him. The picture was proof enough.

That night in the imperial suite of Hotel Ritz Paris, at exactly 11:23 pm, Sasuke experienced his first _real_ heart ache. And he wasn't happy about it.

* * *

**How was it? Was it good! Did it make you smile or make you sad? Review my good people! INSPIRE ME FROM MY TERRIBLE COLD OF WRITER'S BLOCK! :(**


	14. Chapter 13: Realize and Determine

_**Chapter 13: Realize and Determine**_

_**"Courage doesn't always roar, sometimes it's the quiet voice at the end of the day whispering 'I will try again**__** tomorrow"**_

_**― **Mary Anne Radmacher_

Naruto blew out a little air before lightly knocking on the bedroom door. He was nervous; the brooding dark-haired CEO could flip out on him when he opened the door. He had gotten many hits to the head to know that when Sasuke was pissed, to stay the hell away and go out like Shikamaru and Neji had. But by hearing the raging path his best friend took, he knew that he would have to man up and check on him. That was one of the downfalls of being best friends with a sadistic psychopath.

He easily pulled out one of his credit cards and slid it between the door and the wall, snapping open the door and revealing the destruction. Everything was out of place; the tv was now shattered, the bed was torn open and white fluff littered the floors. Even the men's closet was thrown about, clothes hanging off of the lamps and flower vases in the place. Only one word came to the Uzumaki's head. _Shit._

Sasuke was sitting on the chair that the lazy lawyer had by the window, calmly sharping a blade before looking over at the gulping blonde with a blank look. Naruto took the initiative to start off the talk with the deadly man, praying that the blade glinting in the lamp's light would magically disappear from the man's pale hands. The Namikaze quietly sat down on the torn bed, careful not to stir Sasuke's attention from the blade.

"So, um...hey Sasuke, how are ya today?" ..What a way to start a conversation. Naruto inwardly shivered in fear when those inky eyes met his shinning blue ones, a deadly glint in them despite the calm face he showed.

"I'm fine. It's a nice day. We're in Paris. Nothing much to complain about, you know?" He roughly scrapped the blade with the sharper. "Just living the good life." Naruto averted his eyes off the blade and decided quickly that this talk needed to get finished before Sasuke lost his cool once again.

"Sasuke, we need to talk about this!"

Sasuke stood up, startling Naruto into falling off the bed. His eyes held annoyance.

"The reason I left Japan early was to get away from these kinds of 'talks' from Fugaku and Sakura. Now I think I want to get away from you." Just as Sasuke was about to grab him some clothes from the messy closet, Naruto gripped his shoulder.

"I'm serious." A moment of silence passed before Sasuke sighed and handed Naruto the blade. The blonde snapped it closed and ushered Sasuke to have a seat before coughing into his hand and thinking of what to say.

"What do you want to talk about, Dobe?"

"You need to tell me what's wrong. Why did you go wild when you saw that picture?" Sasuke almost rolled his eyes at the serious looking man in front of him.

"I didn't go 'wild'." The Uzumaki frowned at the man's calm tone.

"You did, Teme! That innocent voice isn't convincing anymore!"

Naruto groaned in annoyance when Sasuke stayed quiet and started to stare out of the window. He wanted the man to tell him his problems, Sasuke had always been there for him when he was having a bad day. Why was Sasuke holding back his feelings now? Naruto decided to rile him up to get him to talk.

He faked interest at his nails. "Is this about Sasori and Hinata-chan dating?" The Namikaze man felt a stare on him and almost grinned. It seemed that they were getting on the right track now.

"What makes you think they're dating?", Sasuke angrily questioned the mischievous blonde. Naruto concluded that his interest in the topic and his sudden anger hit it on the nail. He _was_ upset about the photo.

"Are you mad to see that Hinata-chan is moving on, teme? Because from what I've seen, you seem happy to be moving on with Sakura-chan!" Naruto flinched a little when he saw Sasuke throw the lamp at a mirror, instantly blowing out the light that they had. He hadn't expected him to be that angry.

_He needs psychiatric help. _Sasuke glared at Naruto._ Bad. _Naruto also glared at the steaming man, ignoring the sudden multiple knocks on the door. Most likely from the hotel manager and his workers.

"You need to admit to yourself that you're in love with Hinata!"

"I'm not! Get the hell off my back, dobe! I don't love that Hyuuga!" Naruto stood in front of Sasuke, watching him with his crystal orbs.

"Then you need to admit to yourself that you have some kind of feelings for her! If not that, then nothing is a good enough explanation for why your fucked up our room!"

Sasuke clenched his fists, contemplating on what to do, before giving Naruto another glare and storming out of the room past the large crowd that had gathered outside. Naruto gripped his head and stared after the Uchiha.

Soon Neji and Shikamaru came from around the corner, spotting the large crowd before giving each other a look and jogging towards the flustered blonde. Many of the staff members had gone off to help the young Uchiha while some stared at the destroyed room, a look of disbelief on their faces. Neji shook his head.

"There goes Sasuke's CEO position." He looked towards Shikamaru and patted his shoulder, making a questioning look come on the lazy man's face.

"Congratulations, Nara." Shikamaru gave him a small smirk. Every time something went wrong, it was Neji that seemed to bring a little humor into the situation. And apparent sarcasm.

"I'll go talk to the little emo. How about you talk the staff out of letting that situation go out into the media?" Neji looked at the room once more before sighing.

"Sounds like a plan." They shook on it and soon, Shikamaru was following the large mass of workers outside.

* * *

Hinata started wringing her hands together. Once the duo were in the building, she was surprised to find out it was a music studio. She tapped the leading man on the shoulder. He turned a little towards her.

"What?"

"W-Why are we here exactly?" She frowned a little when he just sighed and ignored her. Forcefully, she pinched his shoulder, making a little sound come from him. Sasori stopped and rubbed his shoulder before glaring at the innocent looking girl.

"That better not leave a bruise, Hyuuga." She ignored him and asked the question once again.

"Why are we at a music studio? I d-don't think Deidara is here." Sasori grabbed her sweaty hand and contiuned to lead her while answering her question.

"Deidara should be in the studio making the single now. I'm sure that he probably wants to get that out of the way before starting his real mission." Hinata clenched his hand tighter. She didn't know about that at all. She frowned at being the only one in the world not knowing about the blonde.

"H-How come I didn't know?"

"Because you are in the 1800 century and not in the 21st yet, but hopefully we can change that.", muttered the redhead as he stopped at a certain door. He let go of the girl's hand and turned to face her.

He sighed before speaking. "Look Hyuuga, I want to thank you for coming all the way here for Deidara. It's been a long time since someone, _anyone_ has went this far for his forgiveness." Hinata feared that his thank you would continue with something else. She watched him pause for a minute.

"But I fear that right now, at this moment, he won't accept your apology." Hinata felt her world spin and blow up. He wouldn't forgive her? Even if she had come here to stop her husband from killing his mother?

She wanted an explanation. "B-B-But w-why?" Sasori noticed that when she was surprised or nervous that her stuttering would increase.

"Deidara...is a very stubborn type. I can't say that he won't accept it, but 9 times out of 10, he won't. If he didn't even forgive his own mother, why would he forgive you?" It had hurt. Had he been so abandoned in his life that he didn't trust anyone?

Hinata shook her head. "But he's trying to save his mother! H-He still cares for her!" Sasori stared blankly at her, but inwardly he was fascinated by her determined glare.

"Caring for someone and forgiving someone are two different things, Hyuuga. For example: Do you still care for Sasuke even though you can't seem to forgive him?" Now that had hurt. Hinata glared at him. Yes, she did still care for Sasuke. And no, she hadn't forgiven him for what he did to her, but that didn't mean that she wouldn't forgive him someday.

She stepped towards Sasori. "I-I came here for a reason, and that was to ask for forgiveness and help save Anne-Sophie. I refuse to leave Paris without completing the goals I've set." Sasori stared at her for a while, before a smirk came onto his boyish face, startling the girl a little.

"Shall we?" He motioned towards the door before receiving the nod from the girl, and opened it.

Hinata squeaked at the sight and covered her eyes.

A woman sat perched in the blonde's lap, nothing but a thong on.

"Do you mind if we turn this little fest into a foursome?", asked the pervy redhead as he stared at the woman's breasts.

Hinata fainted.

~000~

The night air was hot, which caused the Nara to regret leaving the air conditioned hotel, but he had a job to do. To prevent the Uchiha from losing his CEO position, he needed to listen to Shikamaru.

The small crowd turned into a a street marathon once it came outside. Shikamaru groaned once camera lights started to flash in his face, and screeching fans started to yell and hold out MGC photos and what not. How had Neji avoided this?! It was like a red carpet was rolled out beneath his slippered feet. Shikamaru glanced down at his clothes and sighed. Of course now would be the time when he decided to wear his pajama pants without a shirt today.

He pulled his robe together and started to look for the storming Uchiha beyond the flashing lights.

"SHIKAMARU! AHHHH!"

"JE T'AIME TELLEMENT !"

"PRENEZ MA VERTU PARTIE!" Shikamaru cringed at that but nonetheless gave a lazy smirk to the crying, boisterous crowd and walked down the pathway leading to the parking lot. He was thankful that bodyguards started to protect him in a square and that workers started to rapidly put up bars to keep the raging fans back.

He then focused his attention on finding the Uchiha, who had suddenly disappeared. Shikamaru sighed once again and rubbed his forehead when he went into the street. _Why do I even try?_ He started to rub his pierced ears, looking for a way to find the brooding man. _If I were Sasuke, where would I go?_

"SASUKE! JE T'AIME TELLEMENT!", screamed a male. Half-naked Nara looked down the street to see a crowd of bodyguards trying to keep fans from getting near the brooding Uchiha, who was just raging down the street with no apparent direction. Shikamaru sighed, not wanting to go down that far, but jogged nontheless, his bodyguards increasing and forming a circle around him.

"Sasuke! Stop!", half-yelled the lazy man, who was now only a few steps behind the Uchiha. Sasuke stopped and turned around, his inky eyes now a spinning red. Ok, so now he must be angry.

"Are you here to annoy me even further, Nara? Why can't any of you just leave me the hell alone!"

Shikamaru gripped his shoulder. "Because when you're like this, who knows what you'll do! The last time you went raging like this, you almost shot Naruto! Calm down!" Sasuke's red eyes slowly dispersed at the mention of Naruto. Shikamaru saw his face turn blank.

"You need to talk. Anything that you let out, we'll listen. We're here for you Sasuke." Sasuke looked down at his bare feet, not wanting to meet the soft brown eyes of Nara. When yelling started to happen, the two looked back to see Naruto and Neji jogging up towards them, bodyguards circling them as well. By now, the street was packed with Frenchmen and their wives and children, screaming out towards the men.

Neji started to pull at his long tresses with a blank look, a sign that he was nervous.

"I think that maybe we should have worn disguises." Naruto looked at the reaching crowed and sweat-dropped.

"You're right. I didn't think that we'd turn the street into a freaking Macy's Parade!" News stations started to come on the street, talking in fluent French and slowly running towards the men.

"Shit.", muttered Sasuke as magazine editors started to flash their cameras even more at his eyes. He prayed that they were back to normal by now; he didn't want his crazy fans to think he was a vampire. This would only add the Twilight fans to the bunch.

Shikamaru sighed before motioning a security guard over. "Can we get a car over here, pronto?" The guard muttered something into his speaker before ushering the boys to a dark car parked in an alleyway.

* * *

Hinata was awoken to the sound of an argument occurring. She winced and held her forehead as she sat up on the leather sofa, her head pounding. What had happened? She blinked her lavender eyes twice before looking up at the noise ahead of her. Hinata gasped at the sight before her. There he was...

"Why the hell would you bring her here, un!" _H-He's..._His blonde hair was down, a different style from his usual ponytail, and his bright eyes still held that maniac gleam in them. He was really here, alive. And well. Hinata started to become emotional at the sight of him, ignoring the girl in the corner of the room getting dressed and the suddenly aggressive redhead checking his hand out.

He was here, right before her. She had come all this way, worrying for him, praying for him to be okay, and he was. Thank God. She stared closely at him and noticed that he looked thinner than usual, even though she suspected that he only got here earlier this morning. He looked a little pale also, a contrast from his sun tan. She became worried.

Sasori popped his fingers and answered the blonde. "Actually, she came by when I was packing to come here. She wanted to talk to you about something." Hinata winced as she heard Deidara growl at the nonchalant Sasori.

"You should have said no! I don't need another distraction hindering me from finding my mother!"

"Actually, she came here to help save your mother, so I think that you need to tone down your voice.", said Sasori in an eerily calm voice as he stepped towards the blonde.

Deidara glared at him hard, not seeing the bluette who had just woken up.

"So you're squealing to others about my problems, Sasori? I thought I could trust you, un!"

Sasori then started to glare and pointed his ringed finger into the raging blonde's chest.

"Don't bring that shit up to me about trust! I thought that we had an understanding with each other! If you're going through something, you should be able to talk to me about it, not just go _alone _to Paris and get yourself killed!" Deidara slapped his hand away and started towards the door.

"I don't need this shit, un. I have bigger things to do." With that, he slammed the door. Sasori gripped his red locks and paced around the recording studio before grabbing a chair and swinging it into the glass that blocked the singer room. Hinata sighed sadly as pieces of glass was thrown everywhere.

It seemed that Sasori had reached his boiling point. The bluette sat back down on the leather sectional, waiting for the man's destruction path to end. Sasori gripped his the bridge of his nose and stood still for a minute, letting the blonde's words come to his mind.

"He is such a fucking idiot! He never fucking listens to shit I say!"

Hinata decided not to say anything. She was upset that the blonde wasn't happy to see her, but who would? She did remind him of his mother, something that apparently hurt him to no end. Maybe it would be best if she stayed away from him until his mother was back. Maybe it would be best if she stayed with him until his mother got back. She didn't know right now, she was confused as to what to do. She truly wanted to help him, but he didn't want her here. How was one to help someone if they didn't want their help?

Hinata stood and glanced at Sasori once more before exiting the room leaving the redhead to think. She decided then that she wasn't going to give up. She wanted to help him, and she would be damned if she had come this far for him to say no. With determination in her lavender eyes, she exited the back of the building and faced the smoking blonde leaning on the brick wall in the alley.

His blue eyes widened a little before narrowing into slits and looking the other way. Hinata sighed at his childishness before snatching the cigarette from his lip and throwing it on the concrete and stepping on it, making sure to grind it into shreds under her boot-clad feet.

She gasped a little when she found herself pushed up against a wall with the blonde glaring at her, trapping her with his long arms and body. Hinata shook her fear away before giving him her own glare.

"What the hell is your problem, bitch?" The bluette stared at his endlessly beautiful blue eyes before speaking.

"We need to talk, Deidara." She heard him snort before nearing her face some more. Hinata grimaced at the smoky scent his mouth had now. She hated cigarettes.

"'Bout time you lost that stutter. It was annoying." Right now, the blonde reminded her of her husband. Sasuke would say the same exact thing to her when she stuttered in his presence. Sometimes, she would be quiet and walk away, not asking him another thing that month, but now she felt different. Hearing that 'annoying' snapped something in her. She suddenly felt angry, but not at the blonde before her though. The memories of her marriage flashed before her eyes, causing her to regret those times she had been weak, hating that she didn't stand up for herself even though she knew she was right. Hinata had come to the twisting fact in her life; she was slowly breaking apart. Under all circumstances, she was becoming fed up and angry with her life, her marriage, the media, her friends, her family, work, even herself. And right now, she didn't want to feel rejected anymore. She was tired.

Hinata pushed the blonde away from her and stared at him with fiery eyes.

"I came here t-to apologize, but now I'm thinking that I've wasted my time in coming here." Deidara's glare increased ten-fold on the girl in front of him.

"So now you wish you didn't meddle in my life now, un? How ironic." Hinata smiled a little.

"I-I didn't say that. I just wish that I didn't come here to see you when I could be back at the hotel planning on a way to get Anne-Sophie back." He stiffened a little and looked at the meek girl in surprise. So she didn't regret coming to Paris. He looked away from her.

"Look, Hyuuga, I don't need your help, so why don't you just go back to Japan already!" Hinata looked up at the night sky and shook her head; was he always this stubborn?

Hinata looked back at him, her eyes now holding amusement in them. "D-Don't flatter yourself, Deidara-san. I-I didn't come here to help you." Deidara looked at her with question. "I came here to save Anne-Sophie. That is my mission now. And I will complete i-it with or without your help."

With that, she turned and left the cracking blonde to his thoughts and went to join Sasori, who was waiting for her at the entrance of the building.

She noticed that now he looked a little better. He even smiled a bit when he saw her coming towards him.

"You ready?" Hinata eyed him a bit before nodding. Sasori then grabbed her hand and started their walk down the street.

"So, did you say what you wanted to him?" Hinata thought about it for a minute.

"Y-You could say that." He nodded and looked at a sign before turning a street. Hinata curiosly looked at him, seeing his face calm.

"D-Did you say what you wanted to, Sasori-san?" His hazel eyes seemed to dance when he looked into hers, and soon he grabbed her waist and forced her to wrap her arms around him, careful not to trip and fall all over herself.

"Not particularly," she looked up at him and saw him smirking.

"W-What did you do then, b-besides tear up the s-studio?" He yawned a little.

"I deleted all his contacts and put a tracker in his phone. No big deal, actually." Hinata wrapped her arms tighter around him when she felt a light breeze fly by on her neck. Was it supposed to be windy during summer?

Sasori tightened his grip on her waist turned another street.

"Deidara better straighten up his act. We need him in on this plan as well." Hinata looked back up at him.

"H-He seemed to stick mainly on his on plan. I-I don't think that he'll budge before the ball tomorrow."

"Today?" Hinata furrowed her brow a little.

"What do you m-mean by that?" Sasori pulled out his phone and gave it to her.

"It's 2:07 am right now, which means that tomorrow for you is today and that in a matter of hours that the mission will begin." Hinata gulped and stared at the time. Her heart began to race and her mind started to spin. Today; it was today?! Just as she started to hyperventilate, she felt a pat at her side, which steered her from her thoughts.

"Don't fret, girl. When we get back to the hotel, we'll start planning things out and- What the fuck?!" Hinata and Sasori stopped once flashing lights started to hit them. Cameras, all around. The whole street was lit with camera's and news vans and worst of all, crazy fans. Sasori gripped Hinata tighter and blocked their eyes from the lights.

"Sasori, is it true that you and Mrs.- sorry, Hinata are in a committed relationship?", asked a burly news man with a microphone.

"Is is true that you and Hinata are getting married after the divorce is final?!" Hinata gulped at that and clung harder to the redhead's waist.

"AHHHHH! JE T'AIME TELLEMENT SASORI!"

"AMOR HINATA!"

"HINA-SASO!"

"SASONATA!" Hinata blushed furiously at the names and comments given to her and the redhead. Why did these french people love her so much? Was it because of the redhead at her side?

"She's so sexy!", said a young man in the crowd as he stared at her. Hinata blushed once again. Maybe it was because of her tight clothing. Thank God for the mysteries of black.

"This is so freaking annoying!", grunted Sasori as he pushed through the pathway of bodyguards into the hotel. Too much was happening at once. Now the media had more photos of them together. Who wouldn't think they were together?

Hinata sighed and let go of the annoyed redhead and stepped into the elevator with him, praying that she didn't spot and MGC during their way up. Both of them remained quiet the whole way. When the elevator dinged, Sasori grabbed Hinata's hand and lead her to their room.

"W-What are we going to do about that?", asked Hinata as she was dragged into the room by Sasori. He shrugged and let her go and started to rummage through his things.

"Nothing. This wasn't part of the plan, but I'm pretty sure that now the Uchiha will want to track you down." Hinata looked towards him for a while before sitting down on the bed.

"So what d-do we do now?" Sasori ignored her and went into the bathroom. Hinata stared after him before looking out the window at the moon. She was nervous; what would happen if Sasuke saw her in public with Sasori. Did he see her on twitter yet? She didn't feel guilty at all, just nervous. She wanted to see his reaction; would he be disappointed in her? Would he be angry? _Would he feel anything at all?_She sighed and lied back on the bed.

She pouted a little. "H-He probably doesn't even care." Before the girl could wallow in her grief, she almost yelled when she felt something heavy slam into her. She looked up into hazel eyes and released a breath of relief.

Sasori smirked down at her, shirtless. Hinata calmed down a bit and glared at the redhead.

"Y-You almost gave me a heart attack. W-What is wrong with you?" He shrugged.

"I'm a little horny is all." Hinata gave him a funny look before pushing him a little, but saw that he wouldn't budge from his straddling on her waist. She pushed harder but to no avail.

"G-Get off, Sasori-san." He frowned at her a little before laying his hands on her stomach. The bluette blushed a little, feeling his hands touch her. It felt foreign, which made her shiver at his touch. She had never felt that before in her life. She tried to push him again, but soon he caught her arms and pushed them above her head.

He came near her ear. "Oh, come on Hyuuga. Live a little." She squeaked when she felt one of his hands let go and push up under her shirt, right under her bra. Electricity sparked in her body and soon, she let out another squeak.

Sasori stopped and smirked at her. "That's right, let loose." With that, he let go of her arms and started to kiss her neck.

Hinata squeaked again, feeling his little nips at her skin and his hot tongue. She felt her middle start to warm. Was this how IT started? When she felt his other hand run down her thigh, she immediately started to get scared. This feelings in her stomach was growing tighter with each touch he gave her, and she felt like she was being bewitched by him.

The bluette shook her head and started back to pushing him away, which made him even more excited. He stopped and rose up to see his work; he smirked. Hinata was blushing and felt like she was going to faint any minute now. She watched as he neared her face before stopping, letting their noses touch.

"Let's have a little fun. I'm sure that you haven't had sex since you and Sasuke split, right?" They never did THAT at all. Hinata averted her eyes to the clock behind him; 3:04.

"S-Sasori-san, can you please g-get off m-me?" She saw him sigh before putting his hand on THAT area. Hinata squeaked and, without thought, hit him in the face with her palm, sending him off the bed and onto the carpeted floor.

She stood onto of the bed and laid her back on the wall, above the head board, wringing her hands together. The bluette had felt the foreign sensation from his touch down THERE, and immediately became scared/excited. She shook her head; she had to protect her innocence.

Just when she expected to see a bloody nose angry Sasori, she shrieked when she saw him slowly get up, uninjured, with a smirk on his face. Apparently, he liked being the predator.

"Oh, so you like it rough, huh?", asked Sasori as he went around the bed towards the frightened girl, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "I think that we can arrange a couple of things then." Hinata jumped from the bed when he grabbed for her leg, and ran towards the bathroom. She screamed into her hands when he slammed her into the door, making her escape way turn against her.

Hinata covered her face from him, not wanting him to see her flushed face. She tried to wiggle from his grip when she felt his slightly cold hands go up her shirt and wrap around her.

"You know, this isn't fun when the prey just gives up. Are you thinking about that Uchiha again?" Hinata removed her makeshift mask from her face and looked at his questioning expression.

She knew that she had to come out with it, she couldn't think of anything else. She looked away from his eyes and muttered the words that she had been hiding from most of the world.

"I-I'm a v-virgin." Silence enveloped the room them. After ten seconds, Hinata looked up and saw that Sasori was still looking at her, now with a blank look.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't catch that. Now what did you say again?" The bluette sighed and shivered when his hands slid down her bare sides to her hips. She looked him straight in the eye.

"I'm still a virgin." Sasori stared at her.

"Oh, see, that's what I thought you said." A moment of silence occurred again, further making the ex-Hyuuga feel nervous of the redhead's response to her confession. Soon, Sasori slipped his hands from her shirt and leaned against the wall behind her.

"So..does this mean that we can't have sex?" Hinata's face flushed from anger then. He still wanted to do THAT even when she confessed one of her biggest secrets to him?!

"W-We won't be doing any of t-t-that!", said the blushing bluette as she glared at him.

Sasori persisted still. "Foreplay?"

Hinata stared at him for a long time before pushing him off her. "I-I guess you'll be taking the futon." She walked towards the bed and slipped off her shoes before getting under the covers, not bothering to take off her clothes; she was still weary of the redhead's need to IT.

Sasori watched as the girl drifted off to sleep before sighing angrily and getting into the bed next to her.

"Like Hell I'm getting the futon." With that, he evilly wrapped his arms around the girl's waist before going to sleep.

~000~

"So you're confused of your feelings for my cousin?", asked Neji as he stared down at the river, watching the boat rower clean the water. Naruto and Shikamaru leaned against the railing, waiting for the Uchiha's answer. Sasuke sighed and threw a rock into the water, watching as it made a ripple.

"Yes. I don't know why, but I can't seem to grasp the answer as to why I feel these things. I've never felt them before..." Naruto patted him on his shoulder and also watched the water with them.

"That's called love, my brother. It's so damn confusing and you can't seem to find the answer for it." Shikmaru nodded while keeping his gaze on the moving river.

"Troublesome troublesome love. That's why I try to put it off. One day, all of us will have to experience it though." Sasuke glared out hard.

"Damn."

Neji carefully tied his hair to the railing and pulled on it. "It would only seem natural for one to feel these things during their marriage. You spend each and every single day with them and can't help but have some kind of connections to that person." He glared at Sasuke. "And, you did ruin my little cousin, so I'm pretty sure that that was karma taking its effect on you." Naruto snorted and defended the Uchiha.

"Let's not talk about Karma, Neji. Teme's not the only one who screwed up their marriage." Neji thought about if for a moment before shrugging and playing with his hair again.

"Karma will beat the hell out of me, I know, but at least I know where I went wrong. Sasuke's the one in denial here." Sasuke glared at the two men.

Naruto looked around for a bit before asking Sasuke a question.

"Just why did you treat Hinata like that? Did she step on your shoe or something?" Shikamaru looked from the corner of his eyes at the Uchiha. _Why did he do it?_

**"**Let's just drop it." , muttered the Uchiha as he looked at his arm. The Nara snorted and looked at the water_. I bet he doesn't even know himself._.

He quieted down a bit before looking up at purplish sky. "I think that this is our first bro-talk since highschool." Naruto grinned while Sasuke and Neji smirked and looked up at the sky as well. It gleamed off the river, making it look like a mural of some sort. The Eiffel tower is what set it off, making the mural look like a Frenchman's art. Everything seemed peaceful, save for the bodyguards nearby that were pushing back passerbys.

"Wait a minute, you tainted my cousin!", yelled the newly realized Neji. Sasuke sighed before looking at the Hyuuga's blazing eyes.

"I never touched your cousin. She's still your pure little _relative_." Shikamaru and Naruto paused and snapped their heads toward the Uchiha, who looked at the rising run. Neji gripped his hair and looked at the Uchiha, disbelief in his white eyes.

"So you never consummated the marriage?". Sasuke sighed before shaking his head. Neji held a blank look before joining the guys in looking at the sunrise, a gleeful inner jumping up and down inside. He felt proud that Hinata didn't do THAT; that was one thing the Uchiha couldn't have, and Neji couldn't help but let a smirk play on his lips. His cousin was still the angel he had thought her to be. Suddenly, the brunette started to fell a bit guilty of his actions towards her.

Naruto couldn't hold it in though. "You're a dumb ass, teme."

"For once, Naruto's right.", said Shikamaru as he shook his head in disappointment.

Sasuke scoffed. "Get the hell off my back."

"You can make up for lost time once you see her at- ooff!", yelped the Uzumaki as an elbow landed in his stomach, courtesy of Neji. Shikamaru grimaced.

"Guys, we should head back to the hotel and get a little sleep. We don't want to have bags under out eyes for the photoshoot, do we?",asked the Nara as he stretched and yawned. Sasuke 'hned' before getting off the railing and heading towards the dark van.

"You douches should worry about yourselves. I've got my shit down-packed." A round of laughs were heard before the men decided to follow the cocky man. Just as Neji was about to follow, he was tugged back.

"What the-" His hair was tied onto the railing, now in a terrible knot. The brunette soon started to panic.

"GET THE HAIR DRESSER, GET THE HAIR DRESSER!" Sasuke looked back before pulling out his phone and dialing the hair dresser, while Naruto and Shikamaru dialed the fire department.

Karma was back in town. Or Paris. Same thing.

* * *

**How was it! Was it good? I would like to know! ;) I HOPE THIS CHAPTER THREW YOU OFF! :) I love surprisng others!The next chapter is going to be epic (I hope)! Thank you all for your continued support and before I go, I want to answer one of the review I had gotten. The reason why Hinata wasn't as famous as Neji was because her father kept her out of the public's eye and she was very shy and didn't like attention, so there! :) Once again thank you all so much and God Bless you! REVIEW PLS! JA NE! ;)**


	15. Chapter 14: Of Redheads and Blondes

_**Chapter 14: Of Redheads and Blondes**_

_**Never rebel for the sake of rebelling, but always rebel for the sake of truth."  
― **Criss Jami_

The bluette was interrupted from her sleep by the bright light coming from the window. She squinted her eyes and slowly covered her head with the the patterned blanket, trying to block out the sun rays from her sensitive eyes. She almost groaned when she felt a slight headache coming on; just what time did she go to bed? Her eyes still felt heavy and her legs ached for some reason.

Hinata jutted the covers away and started to panic around the room, pulling open drawers and searching for her work uniform. She had to get to work or else Ayame would have her head. The bluette rattled through the stand, not noticing a pair of dull eyes staring at her from the bed with slight irritation at her noisy war path.

The bluette jumped when she heard a loud sound come into the room. She held her chest a little when she realized it had been the tv on the wall.

"Going somewhere?", asked the redhead from the bed while he turned the channel from the bed, his interest suddenly on a French news station. Hinata looked back at him for a moment, pondering why the redhead was in her room. Realization came back to her like a hangover to a drunk.

She was in France, not in Japan. _Oh.._She sat down on the edge of the bed and looked up at the clock; 9:34. About six hours of sleep hadn't suited her, she had always gotten at least nine a day. She concluded then that Paris was taking her precious hours of sleep away. She felt the bed shift and soon Sasori passed by with a wink at her before going into the bathroom. She sighed a little and started to wring her hands together.

Her mind wandered to Sasuke, and immediately she pouted a little. She was going to face him tonight: her unintentional bully. Someone who had always gotten what they wanted when they wanted it. She bit her lower lip and stared at the french man talking with a breaking news sign below his face. Hinata quickly went over the plan in her head again.

_I go to ball, catch Sasuke's attention, and then what? _The plan had seemed to vague and unreal; nothing would go as planned. What if she didn't catch his attention? As far as she knew, Sakura was the only one he actually had cared about, so her showing up with Sasori probably wouldn't even affect him. And if it did, how was she going to keep his attention long enough for Sasori to find Anne-Sophie? She needed a plan B if this one didn't work out. Hinata scratched her hair and looked up at the television screen.

A photo of a blonde woman smiling brightly was being shown. Hinata bucked her eyes a little when she saw that the woman resembled Deidara in every way. Was this his mother? It had to be, no one except Deidara had eyes like those.

"Looks like the cops finally found out about the kidnapping. It took them long enough", muttered Sasori when he emerged from the bathroom, sweats and a t-shirt on with his Nikes. Hinata looked up at him for a moment before looking back at the screen, deep worry creeping into her.

"W-Why was she kidnapped again?"

Sasori went to the bed and reached under it. "Because her husband was short on his drug money." The redhead looked back at the girl to check to see if she was looking before tucking the gun in his shorts. Hinata looked back at him and saw him give her a small smile.

"So maybe Deidara's mother wanted him to go to get away from his father! T-That has to be it!" Just by looking at the picture, Hinata could tell that this woman could do no harm. She looked like a loving mother, much how her own mother used to look.

"Maybe. But from what Deidara told me and the others, Mondine sent him to Japan to study business." Hinata tilted her head a little. So he sent Deidara to a boarding school; what was so bad about that? Hiashi had sent her to many different boarding schools when she was younger and then he eventually sent her to Sarutobi Private.

"So why is D-Deidara-san so angry about that?"

"Because his dream was to be an artist." An artist? It made sense in a way. Deidara was very creative, and he was on the design team for her. So he was angry that he couldn't strive for what he really wanted because he was being pushed down a path that he father had made for him. And his mother...

"So Deidara must have really cared for his mother then and felt betrayed when she agreed with his father. How sad..." Sasori waved his hand at her.

"Don't pity him. He's just going through something right now. " Hinata looked down at her lap.

"What about you? Did you ever care for your parents?" Sasori looked back at her in surprise, and pondered on her question with a thoughtful gaze at the ceiling.

"I don't know. I think I do in a way. My mother and father sent me to live with my granny Chiyo after I was born, so I can't really answer that question, but I will say that if anything like this ever occurs, I'll jump in."

Hinata nodded and accepted his vague answer. She was so worried for the woman; what if they didn't make it in time? Could she live we herself if she let another person be killed? A hand patted her tangled head of indigo.

"Once we get his mother back, everything will go back to normal." He smirked at her."Well, not _everything_."

She had almost forgotten that she had spilled her secret to him of all people. She wanted to knock that mischievous smirk off his face. Did she really have a choice but to tell him? If she didn't, she would have been raped by the aggressive man. Speaking of this, the bluette decided to scold him for his behavior.

"W-What you did last night was unhonorable. That's sexual harassment!" He blinked slowly at her for a moment, moving the ring on his finger.

"Listen girl-"

"Hinata!" She cut in.

"Whatever. I never have been an 'honorable' guy. Never have, never will. And what the hell is sexual harassment?" Hinata started to boil at little at his nonchalant attitude. Did he not know that he could be sent to jail for that?

"I-It's when you touch a woman who doesn't want to be touched!" Of course he wouldn't know, he practically harassed her on their little spree last night.

"So what you're saying is that if I patted you on the shoulder without your consent, that I would be sexually harassing you?"

Hinata made a face. "No, I mean if-"

"So, earlier this morning when we were walking back to the hotel, you sexually harassed me in the public eye."

"W-What? No, I-"

"Yeah you did. You had your arms around me, and I didn't want to be touched at all. I was an innocent man then." Was he crazy?

"You held me first! Stop lying!" Sasori rolled his eyes at her red face and proceeded to the door, through with pestering the girl. He turned back around when he remembered something.

"Oh...Konan called. She's pissed." Hinata's anger turned to a little fear. She had forgot the people she had left behind in Japan.

"W-Well, what did she say?" He shrugged.

"A load of bull talking about how she's going to skin us both and throw us to the dogs. Oh, and she's your new agent now. Congrats.", he said with sarcasm and proceeded to go to the door, but was stopped once again by the bluette.

"W-Where are you going?" He smirked a little at her face. She looked like a wife right now, asking him so many questions about his desired location. Nonetheless, he answered her with slight mock in his voice.

"A dress won't just fly out of the sky into our hotel room ,will it? I have to have someone tailor our outfits for Elipope's party. Oh, and I have to go and find that little blonde bitch." His hand unknowingly went to the gun in his shorts. _..And I'm going to speak with Mondine._Hinata frowned at him.

"What a-am I going to do? I-I don't want to be here by myself." He shrugged once again.

"Go out. Enjoy yourself. Just don't let MGC catch you out yet." He saluted her before taking his leave, leaving the girl alone in the hotel suite.

* * *

"I'm gonna bust his balls, and then I'm gonna cut up that pretty little face of hers.", muttered Konan as she typed up her last report for Pein. Ino looked around the girl's personal study room, admiring the fine craftsmanship of it.

"I don't think we have anything to worry about. Sasori and Deidara are with her so she shouldn't get into that much trouble." Konan snorted and angrily tapped one of the keys, making the button pop off to the other side of the room. Ino looked on in sympathy at the missing piece and decided to change the topic of conversation.

"So...did you hear about that famous guy that got shot in a gay bar? I hear that they are taking him in for questioning about a drive-by shooting on his opponent." Konan stopped and turned towards the blonde girl.

"You mean the guy that has the furry white ears and the sexy body?" Ino nodded excitedly. Konan quirked a smile and went back to typing. "I thought he was shot near a gay bar?" Ino shrugged and picked at her fingernails.

"Either way, Tenten is gonna be pissed when she finds out the huge fight between Inuyasha and Kouga was canceled. We better make sure that we nail down the tv and hide the remote this time." Konan winced a little at the thought of her precious tv being smashed.

"Already ahead of ya." Ino smiled a bit and looked at the picture next to her of the woman.

"I pray that they all make it back safely." Konan stopped her typing and looked back at the girl with crossed arms.

"I do to. I still can't believe that Hinata decided to go. I always thought of her as the kind of girl to stay away from drama." Ino nodded in agreence.

She picked up the picture and continued to peer at it. "She's always been a nice girl. I hate that she had to experience all that bad stuff. She hasn't done anything wrong to deserve it."

"Which is why everyone who has done her wrong is going to suffer a cruel and undesirable fate." True, they were. The blonde agreed once more and glanced back at the picture again. She looked back and peered at it closely before gasping.

Konan gave her a questioning brow. "What's wrong, Ino?" Ino raced towards the computer and put the picture on a scanner. Konan watched as the picture popped up on the screen.

"Look!", yelled Ino as she pointed at the picture.

"Ok..It's a picture." Ino shook her head and zoomed in. That's when Konan stared in shock.

Behind the woman head was a window, and in bright red, a sign with "Zeour's Shack" peered in the background.

Konan smiled a bit and looked towards the blonde. "Ino, you're a freaking fairy! The hideout is behind that shack!"

"We need to send this to Sasori, ASAP."

* * *

Hinata peeked her head down the hall, looking both ways before cautiously stepping out and closing the door. She had decided to take Sasori's advice and leave the hotel room; in there, she felt like a caged bird with the necessities of a television and a fridge, two things a model cannot have littering their thoughts. At the thought of food, Hinata's stomach made a sound. She gripped the poor thing and ran to the elevator. Maybe the hotel served good breakfast.

When the elevator opened, the girl almost jumped when she saw a group of workers carrying luggage off of it and running it towards the room beside her. Hinata sighed; just what person needed all those bags? _I bet it's from a woman..._Hinata marveled at the designer luggage a little while longer before stepping inside the elevator and pressing the first floor button.

On her ride down, she started to think about the man, Deidara. Last night was a first for her; never had she downright made an ultimatum at someone (not even at her maids and fussy nannies at the Hyuuga Manor). She felt that she had said the right things at the right moment, but still couldn't help but feel ashamed of her actions. This was his mother that was taken away, not hers. Of course he had every right to be mad at the world right now, she surely would be, but him not accepting her help was out of line. He should consider all options at this point. The police were immediately ruled out; they had just found out she was missing when she had been gone for maybe a couple of weeks now. The police would take forever finding her and unfortunately Anne-Sophie didn't have that kind of time, her life was on the line. Hinata clutched her head and walked out of the elevator into the large lobby, sighing in stress and anxiousness.

"M-Maybe now is a good time to look around.", she muttered to herself while watching the big screen tvs around on the same news channel with the beautiful blonde woman. Hinata wanted to curse herself for not learning french. It would have made her job so much more easier.

A round of squeals were heard in the lobby, making crowds of people turn towards the commotion.

Hinata rubbed her nose and began to look for the breakfast room, not bothering to notice that all eyes were on her. She hummed a little tune to herself and soon, found the room to be just only a foot away from her. She happily clapped her hands and rushed inside wanting to sooth her aching stomach. The bluette got in her place in line, a happy aura coming from her and a little shake of her hips.

Unknown to Hinata, many people had seen that and were currently video tapping the girl and/or taking pictures of her. Hinata jumped when she felt a flash behind her, but quietly turned back around when she was met with a blank face of a random man. She timidly smiled at him before looking down at the case of breakfast treats laced with icing. Oh, how she had craved those cinnamon buns. A woman soon came to the stand, a permanent smile made on her thin lips while she stared at the drooling girl before her.

Hinata almost cried when the woman began speaking french. Oh why did everyone who spoke french have the best things in life? The bluette would hurt someone just for a chance to make Sasori speak french for a month. At least her ears and her mind would be sane for that month. The girl wished that she had brought her phone; it had a translator. Too bad it was still in Japan lying on the bed.

The girl sighed sadly and walked away from the counter, leaving the woman with a confused face resembling that of a fish. She plopped down in a chair and resorted to picking at the hoodie Sasori had lent her. She had bet that she looked like a homeless person, not saying that she wasn't considering that she now practically lived in her best friend's basement.

Speaking of basement, what would come to her on Thursday, the day of her finalization from the elders. She still had so much more to worry about after Deidara. First this, then the meeting, and then Divorce Court. The bluette prayed that Ino had her stuff together; Hinata didn't have anything else. Her lavender orbs stared at the marbled table in front of her. _I wonder how a divorce feels like... _Would she feel lonely and pathetic. No, she had a lot of friends and associates now. Would she feel unwanted? Hinata scratched that out, the mischievous redhead popping up in her head and the fans that were outside the building this morning. At least she had them back. She had then wondered would she miss the Uchiha. She thought for a couple of minutes, an answer not popping in her head.

Suddenly, the vibrant room quieted a bit before going back to normal, which stirred the girl from her thoughts.

When the bluette looked up, she felt that her eyes were betraying her.

There, in the breakfast line, stood none other than the beautiful Kushina Uzumaki and her mother in law, Mikoto Uchiha, dressed in the exact same dress as each other, a bright orange. Hinata ducked under the table when she saw the redhead turn towards her way.

_WHY ARE THEY HERE!_Hinata started to poke her forefingers together, another level of nervousness from the wringing of her hands. Thank God that no one had saw her just now. She quietly raised up and saw that they were chatting happily while walking her way. _Oh no no no no no!_

"Hinata?" Hinata whipped her head around and saw, to her horror, that it was her uncle- in- law, Madara. Was this an in-law get together or what? Hinata nervously smiled at him and stood up facing him.

"H-Hi Uncle." He smiled gently at her before looking towards the women, ignoring Hinata's pleading gaze at him. "Kushina, Mikoto, look at what I found!" The two women stopped their conversation and looked at the short girl.

Before Mikoto could speak, Kushina squealed and jumped the girl, knocking the bluette over onto the floor.

"AWW, she's so cute!", muttered the red haired woman into her cheek, making Hinata blush the color of her hair.

"Get off of her before you hurt the poor thing!" Mikoto ushered the woman off the girl and pulled Hinata up.

"Is this the girl that Sasuke-chan wants to divorce?", asked the hyper woman as she sneakily looked at Mikoto. Hinata felt a little pang of dread. So every knows know? Mikoto sheepishly smiled at the redhead and turned towards Hinata, secretly flipping the bird at the woman.

"Well, you know Sasuke, he is always so rash about his decisions! He's still so young-"

"And dumb." Finshed Madara as he started to stare at random women. Mikoto nodded happily and silently thanked her brother-in-law.

Kushina narrowed her eyes at the woman before smiling sweetly at the nervous and confused bluette.

"How about you join us for breakfast so that we can have some girl talk?" Red eyes glared at the cheesing woman. "I mean, some girl and boy talk?" Hinata looked at the weird women, who were smiling brightly at her.

Just as she was about to decline, a server set down two trays of cinnamon buns in front of the red lady. Mikoto glared at Kushina and muttered to the woman, forgetting that Hinata could hear them both.

"That was a cheap shot, Uzumaki! How did you know that she liked those?" Kushina continued to smile at Hinata, but answered the Uchiha's question.

"I'm very close with the Hyuuga clan, unlike you Mikoto. I'm like family there. Speaking of family..." Hinata was ushered to a seat at the table by her young uncle and met the beautiful eyes of the Uzumaki.

"I heard that Hyuuga disowned you. You poor thing, it must have been hard on you." Hinata glanced suspiciously at the smiling women before slowly taking a cinnamon bun from the plate.

"I-It was not that hard, actually. M-My friends helped me through t-that difficult time." Kushina nodded in understanding.

"And who are you staying with darling?"

"Ino Yamanaka." Kushina's smile turned to a scowl.

"Yamanka-san huh? Does she have a brother by chance?", asked the Uchiha woman innocently although her eyes were burning with fire.

"N-No, not that I know of." Kushina and Mikoto sighed in relief. Mikoto took over.

"You know my son is also here right? Sasuke's been so stressed out and what not these days. He misses you d-." Kushina interrupted.

"Do you know Naruto Uzumaki? You know, the handsome blonde man with the whisker cheeks who is always in those magazines and action movies? You know, the one who is single and charming?" Kushina giggled and looked at Hinata. "And single?" Hinata had a feeling that this wasn't about her marriage at all.

"Well my son has been voted the most sexiest male in Japan, four times in a row-!" That was disturbing.  
"Until Naruto came along and swiped it from him!"

"That was two years ago, Kushina! Since then, Sasuke's been on top-!"

"Of other women? Yeah, you can say that again!" Hinata looked between the red women and unconsciously scooted towards her uncle. Madara coughed into his hands and smiled sheepishly at the meek girl.

"So what brings you here to Paris?"

"I-I was invited to attend Mr. Elipope's B-Ball." Said the bluette simply.

"Oh, so you're still representing Hyuuga?", asked Madara in interest.

"Oh, n-no! Um, I-I came w-with one of my colleagues to represent Akatsuki." Madara looked on in shock at the girl. Hinata concluded that she had said too much.

"You mean to say, that you're involved with Akatsuki now?" Before Hinata could answer, Kushina and Mikoto jumped in.

"NO NO NO NO! I won't have that!" screeched Mikoto, to Hinata's shock.

"Neither will I.", said Kushina silently as she sipped her tea.

Hinata, seeing where the women were taking it, interjected into their thoughts.

"I-I'm not seeing anyone at the moment. He's just a friend."

The Uchiha woman decided to change the conversation, particularly to her son.

"Have you spoken to Sasuke yet? He's very eager to see you.", said Mikoto as she peered at the girl. Kushina snorted.

"Yeah, and I'm dango."

"Well, you sure aren't sweet, are ya?" Mikoto ignored the woman and looked back at Hinata, who was squirming a little.

"Madara and I are also going to Roman's ball. My husband wasn't able to attend because of trivial matters."

Kushina looked at Hinata with a blank look. "She's spying on her son and dragged Madara along to make it look like she was here for business."

Madara yawned and looked around. "I'm not in this."

Mikoto glared at the nonchalant red. "What about you? You never ever go to celebrations like these! Minato didn't drag you here."

"Minato decided that it was high time that I focus more on business than Naruto, so this seemed like a fair opportunity." Mikoto and Madara stared at her with a blank look. She soon cracked with all of the attention.

"Ok, you caught me. I came here to speak with you, Hinata-chan." Why would she want to speak to her? Was it about how her son and Uchiha were holding a woman hostage in Paris, a place that had different laws than Japan?

The Uchiha queen roared at Kushina. "She doesn't want Naruto!" She smiled at Hinata. " Isn't that right sweety? Surely you prefer Sasuke instead. I'm sure that after your marriage counseling is over-" Wait, what?

"W-What marriage counseling?" Mikoto looked at her with innocent eyes.

"The one that you and him agreed on this morning." Hinata pouted at the woman and started to speak, but was cut off my the bipolar woman. "Anyway, I'm sure that after your counseling on Wednesday, you two will be able to straighten up the damage that my son has caused." The red-haired woman grabbed a cinnamon bun and spoke.

"It's going to take more than a little counseling to straighten your boy out! My boy is much more civil and caring towards women."

"If they're wearing close to nothing with a bowl of ramen!"

"Ladies, please.", muttered Madara, trying to stop the women from causing a scene.

"STAY OUT OF THIS MADARA!", yelled both in Unison. It went downhill from there.

Mikoto looked at the girl in front of her with serious eyes. "Look, I know that my son hasn't been the husband that he should have been, but I know that you two are meant to be together." _This isn't making any sense. _

Hinata sighed and looked at the pleading woman. "S-Sasuke and I are getting a divorce, Mikoto-san."

_" _"Mama." Mikoto corrected. "And no, you two are not getting a divorce." Were all Uchiha demanding?

The bluette shook her head. "Yes we a-are, ma'am. Our marriage was arranged, and I was lied to. He never loved me, Mrs. Uchiha." Mikoto cringed a little at the arranged marriage part. So the girl had found out afterall.

Kushina soon spoke. "I'm sorry for all that has happened to you. Mikoto's son just doesn't deserve you, Hinata-chan."

"But they belong together!", half-yelled Mikoto. "I'll admit, I didn't really care for you before, Hinata. I didn't even know your name before that night you came to the engagment party! But the way you looked at Sasuke that night, everything seemed to fit togehter. You were in love with him, anyone could have seen it! And I know that he loves you!" That was it for Hinata. She stood up and glared down at the woman.

"If he loved me then he wouldn't have left me for Sakura." Mikoto became silent as well as the whole table. "L-Listen to me, . I want m-my divorce. This whole marriage was a lie that you and the Hyuuga Clan set up! I would rather be alone and dying than to have another lie thrown in my face again.", spat the bluette. Mikoto soon stood and faced the angery girl.

"In the beginning it was about the Clans, but now I see that in reality, you two are meant for each other!" Kushina stood and grabbed Mikoto's arm, trying to stop any fiery extent from coming out.

"I'm tired of people telling me what to do and what I feel! I don't love your son! Not anymore!" Hinata clenched her fists and out came her true feelings. "I HATE HIM!" The room went silent. Mikoto looked at her wide eyed and fell back into her seat still staring at the girl.

Hinata stood still, processing what she had said to the woman. She suddenly felt bad about what she said then. This angry not only came from her marriage, but from her frustration for wanting to find Deidara's mother. Sasuke was always the evil guy in her life, always downing everyone.

"I-I" She felt a hand pat her back in a comforting way.

"It's okay, Hinata.", said Madara. She had had enough. Hinata glanced at them in apology at them once more before running out of the room. Kushina patted her friend's back. Mikoto stared blankly at the table.

"What has my son done to her?" She looked up at Kushina. "I want to know." Kushina nodded. Madara shook his head and looked at the approaching gang coming into the lobby.

He smirked then. "How about you ask him tonight?" Mikoto looked at his gesturing hand and saw her son being surrounded by fans. Her eyes narrowed.

"I will."

* * *

Hinata almost fainted when Sasori showed her the dress that she was supposed to be wearing tonight.

"I-I can't w-wear that!" Sasori rolled his eyes and laid the dress on the bed, ignoring the girl's protests, and started to take out his suit and jewelry.

"We're supposed to catch the Uchiha's attention, Hyuuga." Hinata stared at the disgrace laying on the bed. It was a beautiful white gown, of course. Everything on it was perfect; the diamonds that layered the breast part were perfect, the flowy bottom was perfect, even the little sems in the dress were perfectly designed. The only imperfection it had was that it was two sizes small, which meant that it would cling to the girl like it's life depended on it.

Hinata wanted scurried over to the man and proceeded to nervously hop on one leg, which made Sasori back away from her.

"What the hell are you doing?" Hinata continued to jump, ignoring his stare.

"I-I don't want to catch his attention looking like that! I'd look like a whore-!"

"Which is what you are." Sasori looked up at the clock and sighed before looking back at the girl. "You need to put on the dress. It's already 9:01. We need to be fashionably late, not miss the whole damn thing kind of late." Seeing that she had no choice, she hopped on over to the dress and started to take off her clothing. Sasori only glanced at her once before turning around and dressing as well.

She hurriedly slide the dress over her hips, and grimaced when she felt the fabric tighten on her sides and chest. She hated that tight feeling, but had no choice. Tonight would be the night that they would save Anne-Sophie. The bluette didn't want to have her disagreements shatter the possibility of saving the woman. Once the dress was on, Sasori went over and zipped the back, nodding in satisfaction at her appearance.

"See, it doesn't look bad at all. Makes me kinda want to-" Hinata pushed him back and ran into the bathroom, deciding on wearing her hair up. She groaned when she saw that her hair was a little tangled, and started to brush it out quickly. She needed to be perfect to pull out this 'seduction' mission.

"Um, Hyuuga?" Hinata looked back at him, now that her hair was straighten.

"U-Up or down?" Sasori sighed and looked at the fidgeting girl.

"Calm down. You look terrified."

"Up it is.", muttered the girl. Sasori shook his head and watched as she put her hair up in a perfect bun using a couple of hairpins lying on the sink. The redhead then saw his work plastered on her neck.

"Um, Hyuuga, I think that you should wear it down." Hinata smoothed down her bang and slid in her diamond earrings before grabbing the white suited sleeve of Sasori and pushing towards the door.

"W-We don't have time, Sasori-san. W-We need to get to the Ball and stop Sasuke and stuff." Sasori stopped her hand from pressing the elevator button and looked her in the eyes.

"Hinata.." Said girl widened her eyes when he said her name. This was the first time he had said it, which made her pay attention to him.

"Y-You know my name..." Hazel-eyes softened into Lavender ones.

"Yes. Calm down. Everything is going to be okay. Anne-Sophie is not going to be killed tonight because we are going to save her. Okay?" His voice comforted her. He sounded confident in his words and that made Hinata calm down and realize what was happening. She was slowly having a panic attack. She slowly breathed in and out and looked up at the man.

Sasori smiled a bit and pressed the elevator button before getting down to business. "I went to visit Mondine, Deidara's father, and found out when the trade was going to happen." Hinata gripped his hand; Sasori's eyes were blank. "It's going to happen at 11:00 tonight downtown."

This was really happening. Hinata nodded and looked forward. "D-Does he have the money?" Sasori shook his head. Hinata gripped his hand even tighter.

"I'm going to leave around 9:28 with Deidara to look around for their hideout." He looked at her with serious eyes. "I want you to distract Sasuke as long as possible, Hyuuga. The whole night would be wonderful ." Hinata stared at him in disbelief of his words. A whole night? Hinata stuttered as Sasori handed her his phone to put in her purse.

"B-But that's i-impossible! I-I can't d-do that-"

"You're going to have to do _whatever _it takes." She knew what that had meant, but didn't want to think of it. She looked back at the now open elevators and walked through with Sasori, hand-in-hand. She didn't know what to think, everything was going so fast.

Her heart started to beat fast when she saw the ballroom approaching. Only a few steps and she would be in the action. She felt a coldness on her shoulder and looked to see it was a white shaw. She muttered a 'thank you' to the redhead. Two tall men dressed in elaborate suits nodded at the couple before opening the gigantic double glass doors. Sasori ushered her into the room, and soon, she was met with the eyes of the people.

The mission was now in play.

* * *

**CLIFFY! :)**

**This chapter may seem rushed, but I wanted to hurry on to the action! :) I hope you all enjoyed it! I have a deal to give to you all: I will give you a full chapter of Sasuke in his point of view (since he is a main character in the marriage) if I see more reviews than normal AND some kind of constructive critism in the reviews! :) how about that? I'll be gone for about two weeks so please make sure to give me something to look forward too! Anyway, Review! OH and yes, I am CRUEL! HAHAHA! Was that an evil laugh!**


	16. Chapter 15: The Ball

_**Chapter 15: The Ball**_

_**"**__**Every girl pretends she is a princess at one point, no matter how little her life is like that." **__**  
**__― Alex Flinn, __Beastly_

Hinata smiled lightly at the people, trying to cover up her nerves, and wrapped her arms around Sasori's as he ushered her down the long steps. For a moment, she had forgotten he was the rude, repulsive man that she had known, and dreamed that he was her Prince Charming, all dressed in white with his fiery red hair and his beautiful, hazel eyes.

"Look at them, already waiting for their master to arrive.", said Sasori with smugness. Okay.., so maybe that dream was shattered, but it didn't make Hinata feel less of a princess.

The ballroom was stunning. All around, vintage gold patterns decorated the wall and the ceiling, which highlighted due to the large chandelier above. On the sides of the room, golden-patterned tables took up the side and many little yellow flowers had been put around on each of them, making the lining pop out. And then, there was the many servers running around with glasses on their trays, scattering around the ballroom floor. Wait...the floor.

Hinata turned her face towards Sasori. "W-Why is the middle of the floor empty?"

Sasori smirked at her a little before whispering back at her. "Well, this is a Ball, so there is bound to be some dancing.."

That's when the girl started to panic. She didn't know why, but all her life she had had two left feet, which meant that she couldn't dance at all. At senior prom in high school, the girl literally tripped and knocked down a line of people. At her reception of her wedding day, she literally almost tore the toes off of Fugaku during the 'Father-in-law-Daughter-in-law' dance. Now she was going to be forced to dance in front of the many rich and famous.

Once they sat foot on the floor, she walked slowly so as to not trip on the ends of the gown. She had grown nervous again when Sasori had told her not to, but who wouldn't when there was a possibility that you could fall all over their face?

"Sasori, my good sir!" A large man approached the pair with a smiling woman at his sides. They both smiled brightly at Sasori, before giving him and hug while the woman kissed him on both cheeks. Hinata smiled when he turned towards her and gave her a small peck on each cheek as well as the woman. So this is the way of the french? No wonder they called it french kissing.

"What a pleasure it is to see you son! I haven't seen you since Chiyo was dragging you around all over the country!", the old man's porky belly jiggled as he laughed. Sasori gave him a small smile.

"Yeah, the good ol' days when I was young and playing with dolls that I had gotten from you. You're a sick man, Eli." The man laughed again and slung his wrist around his wife.

"Looks like you prefer to play with the ladies instead, eh?" Hinata blushed a terrible red, while Eli got a reprimanding look from his wife. Sasori chuckled, much to Hinata's discomfort. "I'm so glad that you could come! Go one, mingle with the guests for a minute, then we can have that 'talk' if you know what I mean!", he winked at Sasori and carried onto other guests.

When the couple was faraway, Hinata looked up at the smirking man in question.

"What does he mean by 'talk'?" He stopped and looked down at the girl before tucking a stray strand behind her ear and caressing her face. The bluette became more confused by his action. He lifted her chin a little and smirked.

"That man is the key to opening up new doors to Akatsuki and Sabaku. Looks like we hit the jackpot." Hinata looked at him with a blank stare.

"I don't get it.."

Sasori came a little closer to her face then, disrupting Hinata's personal space.

"When he says he want to 'talk' that means that he wants a cut with Akatsuki. Meaning that once he jumps on board, you'll be popping up in every magazine and catwalk there is. Get it?" Hinata stared a little more into his hazel eyes before nodding obediently and letting him whisk her away to a table.

* * *

Kushina's glass broke when she saw the redhead caressing her future daughter in law's face. She felt a vein pulsing in her head when she saw him tilt her chin a little. A waiter soon came by and offered her another drink, one in which she grabbed off roughly, nearly knocking the whole tray down. Madara sighed at the woman across the table from him, wanting to save himself the embarrassment of watching her make a scene.

"I think that you are taking this too far.", is what he decided to say first while he sipped his drink. Normally, he would be dragged on this little missions without saying anything to the two demons, but right now, he felt like he was being bullied. Didn't Kushina and Mikoto get married to have their husbands be their 'best friend'? Why did he always have to be dragged along? Was it because he was like a son to them?

Kushina slowly turned her head to face the emotionless man, a narrowed gaze pointed his way. He simply looked the other way and sipped his drink again; he began to regret ever uttering those words.

"Don't say another word to me. Can't you see I'm in my thinking pose?" He scrunched up his nose and resorted back to the drink before looking around.

"So...what are you thinking about?" Kushina slammed her hand on the table, startling other guests, and glared at the young man.

"Thanks a lot for being quiet! Because of you, I've lost a good thought on how to save my daughter!" Madara sighed once again and slumped in his seat. He felt like a scorned child right about now. _Where is Minato when I need him?_Kushina pouted a little when she saw that they had taken a seat at a table on the other side of the room.

"You know, I hate to admit it, but she and him are cute together, but my Naruto and her would look perfect, right Madara?" Madara toyed with the yellow flower on the table with bored eyes.

"Sure. Perfect." The vibrant woman ignored his sullen and sarcastic response, and instead chose to stare lovingly at the bluette on the other side, who was currently chatting to another couple next to her table. Kushina smiled evil and let out a loud cackle, which the made the guests around her look at her with sudden awareness.

_Soon, I'll have the cutest daughter in the whole city of Japan! And after that, my beautiful grandchildren will come, all blonde and indigo! _She sighed dreamily at her dream. _Now just how am I gonna get my son on board?_

Madara watched her think to herself, an abandoned look in his red eyes. Even though he didn't want to be involved in their schemes, he still wanted to know about them. He watched her punch a fist in the air, a grinning smile on her face.

"Victory shall be mine!" Madara put his head on the table when looks were thrown at him and the redhead. He was embarrassed now, and silently prayed that Minato high-tailed it from his meeting and helped to stop his wife. Speaking of the man..

He looked towards Kushina. "Where is Mikoto?"

* * *

The four men quickly got out of the large black hummer and hurried into the building towards the elevator. Shikamaru cursed when he saw that it was already 9:08. They had been at the photoshoot almost the whole day, 6:00 a.m. To 7:00 pm. Sasuke grouchy pulled his long bangs out of his eyes and pressed the top floor button.

Naruto resorted to leaning against the cool, steel walls of the elevator, exhausted from his hectic day.

"I don't think I can keep this up...", muttered the blonde. Neji remained silent with the others, who were also feeling the same way as the knucklehead. When the doors dinged, they rushed to the hotel door and unlocked it swiftly. Each male walked to their designated rooms and began to change, not noticing the small figure sitting on the couch, legs folded and gaze stern.

After about fifteen minutes, the men emerged one by one, confused to see that the lights in the main room were on and that Mrs. Uchiha was on their couch. Naruto gulped at the aura that he felt around the woman, and hoped that Sasuke wouldn't think about leaving his room too soon.

The Namikaze gulped. Has she found out about Mondine and the drug business her son was running? Judging by how her eyes glared at the Uchiha's door, it seemed to him that she knew. Shikamaru, seeing as he was the only one close to the woman and to the Uchiha family in general, decided to greet Mikoto.

"It's nice to see you, . You come to have Sasuke escort you to the Ball?" All three men flinched when she turned her glare on them, but spoke otherwise.

"I came to see my son about some matters." Naruto's breath clenched a little. Sasuke was in deep shit it seemed.

Neji sat down on the couch next to her and gave her a small smile.

"You never cease to amaze us. We surely would have thought that you would be still in Japan with Fugaku sorting out all the ideas he has for Sharingan." Mikoto stared blankly at him, not biting on to the leash that he was throwing to her.

"I simply came here to see my son and make sure that he isn't causing any trouble of some sort." _You have no idea.._thought the Nara as tried to give the 'queen' a reassured smirk.

"He hasn't been causing trouble at all, though he could use a tune up in personality." Naruto decided that now would be a good time to join, and gave his biggest smile to Mikoto.

"Don't worry Ma'am, we've got him under control!" She looked between the men and their smiling faces. _Ok...Now I know something is wrong._

All eyes turned to the door that the male Uchiha had opened. He in an all black suit; Mikoto questioned if he ever wore anything besides the color. _At least it suits him well.._

Sasuke's eyes went to his mother, blank and unresponsive. "Mother." He greeted in a monotonous voice. Mikoto stood and walked towards Sasuke and started to adjust his tie.

Shikmaru looked at the scene and ushered the other men to follow him, but called back out to Sasuke.

"Me and the guys are gonna head out. I'll tell Karin to wait for you." With that, Shikamaru closed the door.

Mikoto tried to focus her eyes on the tie in front of her, but her mind wandered the the name that she had just heard. She had heard it before, but wasn't sure where. She frowned slightly as she fixed his tie.

"I remember when you were little, how you used to watch me adjust your father's tie. You'd always want to have yours tied the same way.", she smiled sadly at the thought and pulled away from him. He remained quiet and watched as she backed away from him and walked towards the window.

She seemed to be contemplating something, trying to find the right words to say and when to say it. Her mind raced and finally she looked back into his eyes.

"What happened to that little boy?", she choked out. Still, he face didn't break, and she started to wonder again if this was her_son. _

"He grew up." His icy voice stung and Mikoto looked back at him in disbelief at his tone. He had never spoken to her like this. He was always charming, respectful, and kind. She was stunned by this side so much that she had to grip the chair behind her and sit down. She tried to grasp the situation beforehand, but Sasuke interjected.

"Why are you here?", he asked in distaste. That was what caused her to snap. She looked at him bewildered at him and became angry.

"Don't you dare talk to your mother that way, Sasuke!",she yelled, but only received a turned back from him as he started to grab his cell phone and keys. A sigh came from him and he soon turned back to his mother and saw that he eyes were slowly turning red.

"What in Heaven's name is wrong with you?! Why are you acting like this?" She had wanted to know where her son had gone.

"This is who I am mother. It would do you some good if you came to realize this." Mikoto glared at him and stood back up and approached him until she was close enough to smell the colonge on him.

"Your behavior is outrageous.", she muttered but gave him a small smile nonetheless. He looked at her once and turned away. Mikoto sighed inwardly in relief when he did that. She had thought that he was being serious for a minute. He was always stubborn, but she had never thought that he would have perfected on that negative attribute. It was comforting to see that the boy that she had was still here.

"Why are you here, mother?", asked the Uchiha. Mikoto smiled when she saw that he had moved entirely away from her.

"I came to spy on you and tell you off.", she said in a happy voice. He looked at her in question, but then realized the information his father had found out. He sighed.

"What did father tell you?" Mikoto looked at him in confusion.

"What did Fugaku have to tell me?" _Good. She doesn't know._He figured that he could easily evade her now, seeing as though she knew nothing of his 'underground' work. But how she looked at him with those penetrating orbs right now, he knew that she was about to bring up something crucial, or more importantly, something he didn't want to hear. He watched her pace around and stare at things on the wall before she started to speak.

"The divorce court was rescheduled for next week. Did you have anything to do with that?" Sure he had; he had requested to the judge and pulled a couple of strings to make it happen earlier that expected to please his fiance Sakura, who was having little fits about not being able to get married soon. He nodded, which caused his mother to groan. She clutched her head and looked back at him.

The tension was high in the room, and Mikoto couldn't handle it that well.

"So you've decided that you're going to marry Sakura?", is all she asked. Sasuke was slowly becoming annoyed with her constant question, especially questions he couldn't seem to answer himself. Was he going to marry the gorgeous pinkette that had caught his eye? That he had concluded that he loved?

He didn't know, so a shrug of his shoulders is what was given. That was when Mikoto knew; she smiled .

"You love Hinata?" He didn't know. Her questions were starting to bother him to no end; he felt like strangling something, anything. Expect the little woman in front of him, who was causing this uncomfortable atmosphere. His mother had always intimidated him, even now when he was taller than her and stronger, he still couldn't match up to her intimidation.

Mikoto didn't need for him to answer the question at that point, because she already knew her answer.

Right before his eyes, his mother's beautiful smile turned to a low, devious smirk. Her laughed echoed through the room, lighting up the darkness that it once had. He started to pout at his mother's mocking laugh and soon his obsidian eyes turned red. The Uchiha female noticed this and stopped her laughing, but couldn't help but let tiny giggles rack her frame.

"Don't flash those eyes at me, son!", she said in amusement. "I find it so ironic that you hurt the girl that you care for deeply. Tell me, just what did you accomplish in your marriage at all? To me, it seems like you aren't ready for any kind of commitment-"

"What did you expect mother, I was married at nineteen, unwillingly. I was immature and irresponsible." Mikoto arched an eyebrow.

"And you still are now. Nothing about you has changed." He glared at his mother. She ignored it and looked back at him with her smirk. "You've lost her, Sasuke. She hates you. And I'm sure Sakura would hate you too if she ever found out about this 'Karin' woman." She gaze hardened. "So tell me, why would Hinata hate you, besides you walking out on her with another woman?"

A long silence passed with no words from him. He just simply stared at his mother, trying to figure out a way to avoid answering that question.

_Why would she hate me?_

_-I tricked her_

_-I cheated on her_

_-I humiliated her_

_-I ridiculed her_

_-I didn't show affection towards her_

_-I hated her_

_-I was in love with someone else..._

He was forced to marry her, which had caused him to hate her. Mikoto and Fugaku had made a pact with the Uchiha's to combine their clans and thought that tying the knot between their children would be the answer, and that was what angered the Uchiha so. They were playing him, manipulating him into their plan. That was why he was so angry; he was being used and forced to live a life that his parents wanted.

Was that why he hated the girl before? Or did he just love to see her crystal tears come from her lavender orbs when he committed the crimes of adultery, when he talked down on her? Sasuke shook his head and looked back at his mother's waiting stance.

"That is not your concern, mother. Do not try to intertwine within my personal life." With that, he left, leaving the woman to stand in the room for a minuted before sighing. Soon, she left, not seeing the photo on top of the counter of a crying blonde woman.

* * *

"...and Temari is such a wuss that she cried when it ended." Hinata giggled at Kankuro's conversation. Temari and he had also come to the gathering in the place of Gaara, much to Sasori's annoyance. Temari glowered at Kankuro a little before looking at the laughing bluette.

"If you had seen it, you would have cried too. That is why I don't like Titanic." The redhead rolled his eyes and picked at the table cloth.

After about ten minutes, the two had settled down and were waiting for the men to enter in order for the mission to actually start. Sasori was glad that Hinata had relaxed, but told her to keep her guard up. It seemed now that she had forgotten his teaching.

Temari waved Kankuro off and gave Hinata a wide smile, one that Hinata thought suspicious.

"I heard that you and Sasori are dating. Panada-kun won't like that.", Temari sniggered. Hinata blushed and looked at Sasori, who looked nonchalant.

"Stop teasing, Temari. As if I would tie myself down when there's so much to explore...", his voice drifted off when he started to stare at other women around. Hinata shook her head and smiled. Same old perverted Sasori, as always.

"You're disgusting, really.", the dirty blonde muttered so as to not appoint any guests. Sasori shrugged.

Pretty soon, waiters started to come out in rows with trays that were filled with tall glasses. Around the huge room, people started to receive their glass. Hinata looked on in interest when a waiter stopped and gave her and Sasori a tall wine glass filled with the goldish liquid. She gulped and started to look around. Everyone had held their glass in their hands and were waiting for Elipope to come to the middle table with his wife.

The scent hit her face and made her stomach churn. She had never tasted alcohol before. She wasn't old enough too. The girl looked over a Sasori and the others to see that they had their attention to the front of the room. The glass in her hand trembled slightly. She couldn't drink this! She wasn't even 21 yet!

"Sasori-san..", Hinata whispered and tried to keep her focus on the front. Sasori glanced down at her.

"What?", he whispered harshly.

She looked into his eyes for a moment before blushing hard. "I-I can't drink this.." He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Why not? It isn't poison." He looked down at the glass in suspicion. "I hope." She looked up at the front and back at him.

"I-I'm underage. I'm n-nineteen." Sasori almost gasped aloud when he heard her proclamation.

"So you're a virgin and you're nineteen? Is there anything else that you need to tell me before I go to jail for messing with a minor?" She glared at him.

"Bite m-me."

"Can I choose where?", he winked at her and she turned a scarlet red.

Temari wrinkled her nose up at the two, obviously hearing every word they said. Hinata jumped when a flash came from her left, and that's when she noticed that there were cameras and live television cameras shooting them. She gulped and sat down her glass before combing at her bangs. She was going to be on live television and didn't even know it.

Hinata looked around for a mirror, asking the dirty blonde and even Sasori, to which they shook their heads. She sighed and then looked down at her dinnerware. An idea popped in her head and soon she grabbed the plate and started to look at her reflection. She sighed in relief inwardly when she saw that everything was in place, and even thought that she looked really pretty.

The bluette noticed something on her neck and casually brushed it off

….

….

...only for it to sting slightly. A dark, purplish bruise was on her neck and she wondered where it had come from.

...

…. That's when she remembered. Sasori and the night in Paris.

Hinata half-screamed half-squeaked before putting both hands over the mark and looking around to see if anyone had saw it. People started to stare in their direction soon, and Sasori frowned at the girl's displacement.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" She wanted to cry; had this been showing the whole time. Without hesitation she scooted closer to Sasori and turned her whole body towards him, showing him his work. He stared at it for a while before that smug smirk came on his lips.

"Oh, so you want another one?" Hinata glared at him harder this time. Had he done that on purpose? Temari looked back at the two, and gasped at the girl's hickey when she saw it. Kankuro looked at his sister before following her gaze; he made curious face.

"Just how many bedbugs were in your hotel room?" Hinata blushed and started to question if anyone took her serious anymore. Temari reached over and took down the pins from the bluette's hair and fluffed it out, making it thick and long. Hinata pouted when she felt the mass of indigo go down her bare back; she bet now that she looked like a mistress of some sort.

When she looked around at the tables, she saw that most women had worn elaborate dresses, but it had some sort of modesty to it. Her's however showed the outline of her body and literally squeezed her. She prayed that she wouldn't have to take any pictures here..It would be embarrassing.

She heard footsteps and the scattering of chairs from behind her and became nervous when Eli and his wife soon made it up to the stand.

The chatter in the room ceased and all focus was on the couple up front. Eli looked around and gave his jovial smile.

"Welcome everyone to our 75th Anniversary celebration! I will tell you, I can hardly recognize any of you, probably because throughout the years my eyes have been giving up on me! Or it is probably because of all the drinking I've done the night before!" A string of laughter came after that and Hinata couldn't help but smile at his warm tone.

"Before we get this party started, I would like to thank all of the workers of the Hotel Ritz Paris for putting up with all the bull crap I've been giving them for the past two days. I would also like to thank my entourage and my colleagues for taking over some of my work for me to be here, I would have never thought to have been here in Paris without their help and excellent responsibility.

"And next, I would like to thank my wife, Anna." Said woman blushed and smiled up at the large man holding her.

"I would like to thank this lady for being able to put up with my crap for the past 75 years. I want to thank her for accepting me and forgiving me for all of my wrong doings in this life. When I am out of line, she will straighten me out, and when I am going through something, she was always there with me. Without this woman right here, my life would be meaningless. So..thank you Anna for loving me."

'Awws' and cooing started to occur in the crowd as the two shared a kiss. Hinata's heart clenched at his words. That was her dream; to here those words uttered to her.

Eli looked up at the many tables and smiled. "And last but not least, I would like to thank you all for coming. Without all of you, I would be broke and in the dog house." Another round of laughs surfaced before Eli raised his glass. Everyone at their tables stood and soon, Hinata realized that she also had to stand.

Just as Hinata stood up, one of her earrings feel out of her ear. She quickly gave her drink to the peeking Sasori and bent down.

"CHEERS!"

_RIIIPP!_

Hinata could have cried when she saw that she had ripped the side of her dress, creating a slit that stopped right above her upper thigh. Sasori put down his empty glass and bent down to the stunned girl. Fortunately, no one had heard the loud rip due to the glasses being put down at once. Sasori ushered the girl to stand up and began to examine the split.

He tutted. "Looks like I got your hip measurements wrong. Temari, do you think you can help?"

Temari put down her glass and looked towards the two and saw the problem.

With swift speed, she grabbed the bluette and rushed to the restroom.

Temari pushed the girl to the wall and examined the split. "Damn, there isn't any possible way to sew that up. I was wondering when that dress was going to part ways."

Hinata looked at the split again. "I-It isn't that bad, is it?" Temari looked up at her for a moment before looking back at the split. It was bad, it was medium and showed some of the girl's thigh. The dirty blonde shook her head before putting her hand through the slit and tearing through it.

Hinata squeaked at the sound and looked down to see that she had a long slit in her dress now. Temari stood and admired her work.

"Now THAT is what I call a dress. It looks terrific!" The little hole was gone now, all left in it's place was her leg. Hinata blushed hard at her bare skin. It did look good, but to Hinata it showed to much skin.

Temari smiled at her fondly. "Ready to do some dancing?" _D-DANCING_? Suddenly, the thought's of her wedding day occurred and she instantly felt like she was going to be physically sick.

"I-I thought that dancing was after the meal!" Temari shook her head and started to pull some of the girl's hair over her shoulder to cover the hickey.

"It's a greeting dance, sort of like a contra dance, but instead of square dancing, we'll be ballroom dancing.", Hinata hung on to every word she said, but only became more nervous. So not only would she have to dance, but she would have to dance with other people?

She started to fan herself, her nerves going all over the place. "I-I can't d-dance! I can't dance!"

Temari grabbed her shoulder and stilled the girl. "Don't worry, usually the men lead the dance, the women just follow." It still didn't help that she couldn't dance. Hinata moved away from the girl and faced the mirror, pulling her hair.

"T-This is my wedding ceremony all over again! No one's going to have any toes, no one!" Temari pondered on what she could do to pawn the girl's nerves, and eventually thought of an idea.

"A good way to not fuck up the whole dance would be to stare at your partner's face, not your feet. I'm sure that pretty soon you will get used to it. Didn't you dance at Hyuuga Balls when you were little?" No, she hadn't. She was too shy and usually hid behind her mother or father at such things.

A knock on the door sounded and Sasori's voice was heard. "Come on, the dance is about to start."

Hinata's heart jumped and started to beat fast at his voice. Temari sighed and decided that now was the time to remind the girl of her mission.

"You have to get out their Hinata. Once the dance starts, Sasori will guide you until you switch. When you get another partner, he will slip out and go with Deidara. That's where you come in. Your going to have to catch Sasuke's attention."

"How am I going to do that?", she asked the pretty woman.

"It should be fairly easy. When you dance, you dance with each male in the party, so you're bound to dance with Sasuke as well." Hinata gulped and stared at her reflection in the mirror.

"W-What if I don't get a chance to dance with him?"

"That's highly unlikely, but if time persists to interrupt the dance, then you can always grab his attention some other way. I mean, he is at the table behind us." _What! So that was the scrapping sound I heard? MGC is behind my table! _Hinata's palms became sweaty at that.

"You can do this, Hinata. I have faith in you."

Hinata was surprised at the blonde's serious tone. She was geniune and honest; she really believed that Hinata could do it. Before Hinata could thank her, she was hugged by the woman. The bluette waited for a moment before wrapping her arms around her and returning the hug.

That was what sparked the bluette's confidence and lit her fiery tomb. She had someone who believed in her, she couldn't let Temari down. Hinata pulled away and gave the woman a smile and followed her out the room.

Outside the bathroom stood Sasori with that usual smirk on his face. He held his arm out to her.

"Shall we?", he asked in a smug voice.

Hinata gave him a smirk of her own, slightly knocking the redhead off his game.

"We shall."

* * *

"Oh Sasuke-kun, I'm so happy that you picked me to accompany you!", squealed the redhead as she lovingly squeezed his arm as they walked to the center of the ballroom. Everyone was getting ready for the greeting dance, and Sasuke was not looking forward to it.

He had came in late and saw that his friends had saved him and unfortunately Karin a seat. He let his red eyes gaze around and a the front of his table sat Kankuro, Gaara's older brother. Sasuke had seen him many times during his visits to the Sabaku's household. Great, he was going to be seated near his former-friends brother.

But that wasn't who he was looking for.

"Okay everyone, I would like to have everyone on the floor with their significant one. I don't want anyone holding the walls, got it?" Every single person started to come closer with their partner, and Sasuke inwardly cursed when the woman came closer to him grabbed his hands.

Why did Kakashi have to set him up with her of all people? When he thought about it, he didn't even know her name that good. What was her name again? Kirun? Koten? Kria?

Maybe he should ask her.. "So, what do most people call you?" He wanted to grimace when she looked up at him in adorance and batted her eyelashes at him.

"You can call me yours.", she winked at him and smiled seductively. _Damn._Despite his sick feeling, he gave her a small smile and waited for everyone to get on the floor.

His eyes looked around until they stopped on the colors of indigo and red. He felt his mouth go dry when he spotted her.

She was smiling while chatting to the damned man. He noticed that he dress was unlike her; it was tight and showed every curve she had. His eyes then went down to her hips and he noticed that she had gained weight, a big difference from the thin, and frail wife that he had known her to be. Then the slit that started from her hip down aggravated him to no end; it was teasing him. And then the bloody dress was ironically white, a color that meant purity that she sported well. It mocked him to no end, and slowly his irritation increased when he saw how that little bitch wrapped an arm around her waist.

His heart started to beat faster when he saw that she and that man were only a few feet away from him. Sasuke turned away, feeling his blood boil.

How dare he touch her? Did he not know that she was still a married woman? _Ironic._

"Sasuke-kun, are you listening?", asked the redhead in a somewhat seductive voice. Sasuke ignored her and turned his head to face Neji, who was also staring at the couple with distaste.

"Sasuke! Listen to me!" Sasuke looked back at the woman with a frown.

"Okay, Kimie, I hear you." Karin looked at him in shock and hurt, but he didn't notice.

He was too busy undressing the bluette with his red eyes.

* * *

"I'll be leaving after our dance.", said Sasori as he grabbed her hands in his. Hinata found it funny how he can be a repulsive jerky pervert one minute, but switch and become Prince Charming another.

"Temari told me." He looked at their intertwined hands before looking back into her eyes.

"I see that you aren't stuttering as much around me as you used to. I'm beginning to think that you aren't interested in me anymore.", said the redhead in a amused tone. Hinata playfully rolled her eyes at him.

"Maybe I just see you as a close friend now." His hand gripped her waist and his face neared hers.

"A close friend, hm? Just how close?" Hinata blushed at him and turned her head away. His flirty comments made her heart race just a bit. During her dating experience with Sasuke, he never threw out such things, he merely just talked to her. This was a different experience for her indeed.

Hinata looked back up at him under her eyelashes. "As close as you want.." Sasori drew back, shocked at her sudden boldness. He moved his hand up her back and smirked at her.

"You've been hanging around me too long. I would be lying to you if I didn't say that that just turned me on." Hinata jumped and made some distance between them when she felt his fingers trace down her back, making her _feel_that feeling again.

Sasori chuckled at her and pulled her back to him, their noses touching. "Little minx."

The violinists and flute players in the balconies started to play and soon Hinata and Sasori bowed to each other before she wrapped her arm around his neck and he put his arm around her waist. With their hand's outward, they started to dance and mix in with the crowd.

The music was slow and smooth, like a Cinderella song. Hinata felt all her nervousness go away once Sasori started to twirl her around. She _was_Cinderella in this moment.

When the music stopped, they bowed to one another. There was only a thirty second pause between each dance, so Hinata decided to say her goodbyes.

"G-Good luck, Sasori-san." He came forward and did something she would have never thought he would do..

….

...

He kissed her...

…

...

...neck. He kissed her neck.

He smirked at her before disappearing in the crowd. Hinata didn't even have a chance to react to her anger of him mocking her before she was taken by the hand.

The bluette was spun around several times before she stopped and bowed before said person. When she looked up, she saw ocean blue eyes smiling back down at her. She blushed deeply when she looked up her past-crush's father and CEO of Namikaze e-tech, Minato Namikaze.

His height was slightly taller than Sasori, which made her have to look up and strain a bit. She suddenly began to become nervous when she heard the music start again. She prayed to God that she didn't relive that 'Father-in-law-Daughter-in-law' dance.

"So you're the girl that my Kushina can't seem to leave alone?" Hinata liked his voice. It was nice and smooth, which miraculously comforted her. She blushed a little and stared down at her feet, but snapped her head back up when she remembered the advice Temari gave.

He chuckled at her. "I can see why. You're like a doll." He gave her a charming smile that made her heart flutter. "I'm sure that you already know me since you used to hang around Naruto when you two were in high school together." Hinata smiled and nodded at him. If he remembered her, then he probably remembered the love notes Naruto used to bring home from 'anonymous' .

"It's a pleasure seeing you again, Minato-san." Minato smiled and suddenly a confusing look crossed his face when he looked to the right. Hinata followed his gaze and saw what he was looking at. A sweat-drop appeared on both of their foreheads when they saw Kushina along with many other photographers snapping pictures of them.

"Oh brother.",muttered Minato as he watched his happy wife wave frantically over at them with a wide smile on her face.

….

….

Kushina squealed happily at the scene before her and snapped another picture. She was definitely going to put that in Hinata and Naruto's Snapbook under 'Father-in-law-Daughter-in-law' dancing.

…

…

"So Hiashi exiled you from your clan did he? I'm going to have a few words with the old coot when I get back." Hinata frantically shook her head as he twirled her again and moved around the ballroom.

"M-My father didn't exile me. It was another member of the family." Minato gave her a confused look before dropping his next question, the girl seemed uncomfortable talking about it. With a new thought in his blonde head, Namikaze gave her a smile.

"Since you're a sweet girl and my wife seems to love you so, how about you join our family? I'm sure Kushina and our other members would be excited to see you." She looked up at him with wide eyes. Could anyone do that? "You could keep Hyuuga as your surname if you wanted."

"I-I don't know.." She squeaked when he swung her around to the other side and she saw his smile turn to a low smirk.

"It's not a choice. It's a demand." She gulped when the music stopped and they both bowed to each other. So Minato could be just like his wife. He kissed her hand and grabbed another waiting lady before whisking her away.

A hand grabbed hers and Hinata eagerly turned around

...

...

To see her husband staring back at her with a smirk on his lips. She gasped as his hand trailed down her back slowly to her waist. He pulled her towards him, so close that she could here his steady heartbeat. Soon, the music started again...

* * *

**There you all go! I hope all of you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it! I want to thank everyone for their continued support and Aya-Sai for her beautiful fanart! Are you as stoked as I am about the next chapter? :) REVIEW and thank Aya-Sai for inspiring me with her art to write another chapter for you all! :)**

***Sigh* This story is far from over...**


	17. Chapter 16: How My World Exploded

_**Chapter 16: How My World Exploded**_

_**"I just wanted to tell you that I understand if you go. It's okay if you have to leave us. It's okay if you want to stop fighting." **__**  
**__― Gayle Forman, __If I Stay_

Deidara leaned against the wall of the hotel, inhaling the toxic fumes of his cigarette before exhaling, letting the smoke float freely into the warm night air of Paris. His eyes were hard and stormy as he glared into the distance, waiting for his partner to come.

His eyes were burning and his face felt heavy, much like someone who had been up for a week without sleeping or resting, but who could sleep when their mother was nowhere to be found? He had been up searching, looking everywhere but to no avail. Each passing day seemed like a year of agony for him. He felt empty, like his heart was gone.

Without that woman, he felt like a soul wandering without its body. He wanted his mother, badly. The heat of the night intensified his hatred for his father and built up his determination for finding her. He had made his decision nights ago; he would gladly die than give up on his mother.

Sasori came from the building, his white suit replaced with an all-black ensemble. He acknowledged the quiet blonde and threw him a black bag before getting into the black Mercedes-Benz W222. Deidara noted that the bag was heavy, and quickly threw it on the men sitting in the backseat and started up the car and began to pull off.

"Have you located each site?", asked Sasori as he pulled the gun from his pants and started loading in ammunition. Deidara blew out more smoke and threw the fag out the window. One of the men in the back answered the man's question.

"From what me and Taki found, there are four drug sites located in Paris that Mondine run. My guess is that Uchiha could be holding her captive at one of them." Sasori nodded and held the gun up in the moonlight before tucking it in his pants.

Of course Uchiha could, Mondine was working for him. Holding his wife hostage in his own drug sites? Complete torture.

Deidara glared ahead of him, his thoughts on only one person. He soon stopped at a building located on the outskirts of Paris. Taki and his partner opened the black bag and took out their respective machine guns.

"Search the place up and down. If she's not there, you know what to do..", the blonde drawled off. The two men nodded before getting out of the car and going towards the building. Soon Deidara pulled off towards the next site.

"Are you sure that she's at one of these?", asked Sasori. Deidara shrugged.

"My dad said that Uchiha wanted him to pay him the money at the north site downtown that ships the cocaine, but you know how sneaky that cunt is, un. She could be anywhere." Sasori looked out the window, frustrated that he was in this stressful postion. Where could she be?

He turned his gaze on the speeding blonde. "And tell me why we couldn't pay the debt to Uchiha?"

"Sasuke wouldn't dare take money from _us_, and my dad is such a drug head that he would probably spend it on more of that shit, un." As the two pulled up to the site, Sasori reached in the back and pulled out a gun for Deidara, who took it without a word.

"Your father's fucked up." The two men walked up towards the place and up the latter in the alleyway, careful not to be spotted by the giant lights around the place.

Once they made it, they pressed their backs on the wall and crept towards the window. Deidara peeked around the corner and saw what he was expecting.

Hundreds of people were inside, packing the clear-wrapped white substance in boxes and shipping it off on the conveyer belt, which led to an opening on the far side where fifteen trucks were patiently waiting.

"Do you see it?", Deidara nodded and inched towards another ladder and climbed to the top of the roof. Sasori sighed and followed after the man.

* * *

When the music started, Hinata unsteadily bowed for the devil before giving him her hand. She couldn't believe this at all. Her breath was stuck in her throat, and she felt her cheeks heating up. When Temari told her she would eventually meet him, she didn't think it would be so soon. The bluette had thought for sure that she would dance with at least twenty guys before she met him.

She shivered when his hand slowly slid down her back to the edge of her hip, resting there securely. She was beginning to feel light-headed when he started to swing her around. She hadn't even looked at his eyes, and she was beginning to feel like she was about to mess up.

"So you're with Akatsuki now...?" It sounded more like a statement than a question, but it still made the girl look up in his crimson orbs.

She felt her stomach drop when she met his perfect face. She was supposed to catch _his_ attention? He seemed to only go for the beautiful women. _Like Sakura..._

She looked away from him, too ashamed to look at his face. "Y-Yes. I am." He twirled her again. Why did he have to start off the conversation like that? It bothered her to no end..

"So how many did you have to fuck to get in?"

…

She felt her heart clench. Her ears became numb and hot, and she couldn't think straight. What had she just heard?

"W-What did you just s-say?", asked the bluette as she stared up at him, noticing that he was glaring at her. What was his problem.

"Or did they pity you? Probably the latter. I don't think you would satisfy them much.." He looked her up and down, etching mild disappointment on his face.

Pity her? She didn't get it at all. Why was he saying these things to her? Mikoto had said that he missed her, but from what she was hearing, he was annoyed be her. But why?

Was he jealous? That thought flew from the bluette's mind. Why would he be jealous of her? That didn't sound right. So what was it?

"I'm not going to repeat myself, Hyuuga." She felt her insides still...

That was how he had talked to her in their marriage; a full lists of commands and down-puts. She felt her chest start to burn. How dare he talk to her like that? He acted like she was nothing; dirt under his shoes. He was treating her like a child...

...

Konan's words from before filled her head. _We'll stop treating you like one when you learn to start __**acting**__ like an adult... _

_..._

All this time, he was treating her like a child. That was one of the reasons she disliked him now, his arrogance and attitude. Before she knew it was coming..

...

She snapped.

"I don't see how that's any of your business, but no, I didn't sleep with anyone. I am still a _married_ woman after all." She muttered the last part to herself. She saw him sigh and turn his head the other way.

"So you aren't _dating_ anyone?" Hinata looked at his face, still emotionless with that monotonous voice. His question sounded sarcastic and also mocking, as if she couldn't understand the way her was talking to her before. He sarcastically made it _simple_, and she _almost_ answered it. She then remembered what Sasori and Temari had told her. She had to catch his attention, which meant attracting him to her in any kind of way. What better way to attract him to her? Teasing..

With a roll of her eyes, she looked back at Sasuke, her face as serious as she could put it.

...

"I don't kiss and tell."

...

She pulled her hand from his and bowed gracefully before him. When she looked back up, she saw his red eyes staring at her, a little startled, but also anger flashing in them. She almost smiled when she saw this.

_Bingo._

With a small smile, she walked past him into the crowd, not noticing how his eyes turned from anger to Lust and fascination.

"Hinata?"

Said girl looked up in surprise at the familiar voice.

"Naruto?" She saw him stare at her for a minute before a huge blush came upon his cheeks, confusing her. At first, she was blushing at him, but now, he was blushing at her? She moved her hand to her face, checking for a particle or imperfection on her face.

"I-Is there something on my face?", she asked, trying to wipe under her and and fluff some more of her hair over the 'mark'. She looked up at him and saw that he turned his face away from her.

"N-No, there isn't. You look...good, Hinata." She glanced at him suspiciously before giving him her hand. She frowned a little when he put his hand on the middle of her back instead of her hip, which is how the dance is supposed to go.

With swift hands, she brought his hand down until it reached her butt a little, and slid it over to her hip. A groan was heard, and she looked back up into his blue orbs to see that they were closed shut, his eyelids twitching. Hinata frowned once again at his behavior. Did she look that bad?

"Is t-there something wrong?", she asked with a little hesitation. Only ten more seconds until the dance started again. He still didn't open his eyes fully, only peeked at her with one eye before closing it shut again.

"I-I'm okay." He was doing more stuttering that she was, which surprised her even more. A little perspiration was on his brow. Hinata made an 'o' expression when she realized what was happening.

He was attracted to her! She couldn't believe it! All those years in high school, she had admired him from afar, and now he was... The bluette could have fainted right there on the spot from her woozy head, but shook it away a little and started to search for the Uchiha.

She looked around the blonde's shoulder a bit to see Sasuke with a brunette, who was clinging to him rather tightly. He looked to be annoyed at the woman, and almost instantly looked in their direction causing Hinata to look at her diamond heels.

So he could see her from this distance, which meant that anything she had did right now, he would see it. She let this set in for a couple of seconds before a light bulb came on in her head.

_What would catch Sasuke's attention and keep it?_

When the music started again, Hinata grabbed Naruto's hand and intertwined it with her's, startling the nervous man. She smiled a little when he shot open his eyes and hurriedly looked the Uchiha's way to see if he saw them.

"W-What are you doing!", he whispered nervously towards her, but she didn't listen to him.

She closed the distance between them.

Naruto's face turned red when he felt her chest hit his and her hand grip his shoulder. She smiled innocently up at him and pulled herself closer until she felt his hand slip lower..

…

It was a sacrifice to make, but she had to attract the Uchiha. She was slightly embarrassed and ashamed of her actions, but a life mattered more than her dignity right now. His hand stopped on her bottom, causing her to try and refrain from shivering.

Naruto had obviously forgotten about Sasuke watching them, because she felt his hand grip her bottom before he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at her.

_Smooth move, Hinata. Smooth move._

* * *

...

...

"No no no no no NO!", yelled Mikoto as she watched the scene from the sidelines with her camera in hand. How could Sasuke screw it up?! It was his chance to get his woman back!

Kushina thought the opposite, and excitedly started to snap more pictures and beat on the photographers. The redhead sighed dreamily before showing the brooding woman her camera shots.

"You see this, Miko? This is the picture of VIC-TOE-RAY!", said the redhead as she yelled in the woman's face. Mikoto rolled her eyes at the dramatic woman and plopped down on a chair, arms folded and glare penetrating.

Kushina almost jumped when she saw her son's hand grip her daughter-in-law's bottom. She put her hands over her mouth and screamed into them, making other guests look her way. _My grandchildren! I'm gonna have grand babies!_

"I'm going to kick your son's ass.", the brooding woman muttered, twisting her ebony locks in her hand. Kushina ignored her and called their 'robin' onto the scene.

"MADARA! Get over here!" Said man excused himself from the pretty woman he was dancing with and walked over to the two, slight irritation on his face.

The red-haired woman pushed a camera into his hand and beamed at him. "Take this and keep taking pictures for me will you. I have to a least get one dance in with my husband." With that, she stalked off in the dancing crowd to find her Minato.

Mikoto glare at Naruto, hoping that her red eyes would light his hair on fire. Just what did he have that her son didn't?

"Personality.", said Madara as he adjusted the camera, answering her mental question immediately. She shifted her eyes on him and narrowed them.

"Did I ask you? Can't you see I'm in my thinking pose?" He sighed heavily and started to take the damn pictures, not wanting to anger anymore women today.

"So...what are you thinking about?" He just had to see.

...

...

* * *

Hinata felt...violated? She didn't know for sure, but that was how she felt right now. Much more on the borderline of disturbed maybe?

"I didn't know that we had such an attraction, Hinata-chan.", muttered Naruto in a seductive voice as he held her closely despite it being _ballroom_ dancing.

Hinata glared at him openly, not liking how he was talking and absolutely not liking her new-found plan. It was just as worse as Sasori's rushed ones.

"D-Dream on Namikaze.", she said in a slightly _annoyed_ tone. She heard him sigh and felt him retreat his hand to her back.

"What your problem? I didn't do anything to you..", he trailed off thinking about what he had just said. Hinata looked away, also thinking herself.

Just what had he done to her?

"Sure, interrogating my sister and serving me with papers is something that people do on a daily basis. N-No big deal." He frowned at the sarcasm in her voice, but felt a little guilty about it.

"I was concerned about you, Hinata. And I was only doing my job-"

"Which is?" She ping-ponged. He didn't answer, instead he turned his head away, his eyes shuffling through conflicting emotions.

"I am apart of MGC Hinata, what everyone of us go through, we all go through. Me serving you those papers was nothing personal." He twirled her and brought her back close. "I didn't think that you would take it like that."

"Well I'm sorry if I don't have the sense of humor you thought I did." Hinata snatched herself away from him and bowed. Just as she was about to scurry away, she felt him grab her wrist and turn her back around to gaze angrily into his orbs.

"I'm sorry, Hinata." His apology made her revere away from her madness. She felt it slip away and quickly form into nothing. She was left staring at him, and could tell that he _was_ sorry.

His azure eyes showed her his feelings of guilt and sorrow, yet she could not accept his apology. At least not yet. Because when she looked into his eyes, it reminded her of the woman in the picture, Anne-Sophie.

MGC was holding her captive at this very moment, yet he could not express a feeling of guilt from that? With a glare she pulled her wrist away, lifted her dress and ran towards the table to grab her purse and soon the exit, leaving him standing there watching after her.

* * *

"_We've searched the place top and bottom, boss. She's just not here." _Deidara gritted his teeth as he held the phone. Sasori sighed tiredly and spoke to the phone that was on speaker.

"Have you checked in with the others? Have they checked the other two sites?"

"_All in and out, but there is still no sign of her._" Sasori looked towards his partner and saw him clench his fist, drawing blood from his fingernails. He patted his back and looked down at the phone.

"Did you make sure that she wasn't there before you planted them?"

A quick breath came before he answered. _"Yes yes, of course. In and out."_

"Good job. Search around the area some more until I call you." Deidara ended the call and banged his hand on the front of the car. The redhead glanced at him one more time and threw the gun in the backseat. "Thank God that we didn't have to shot anyone today."

"Not like I didn't want to, un." Deidara glared at the hood some more, letting his thoughts wonder.

"Well aren't you trigger happy.", Sasori responded with a sarcastic remark and sighed once more. "There's no need to worry right now, Deidara. It's just 10:00 right now. We have an hour left to find her."

Deidara looked at him hard and then softened his eyes a little. "What if we don't find her, un? What if we come by just a little too late?" Sasori saw for the first time that his best friend was scared. Not for himself, but for his mother who he hadn't seen in eleven years.

"If I lose her, I don't think I could live with myself, not after I told her all those bad things." Sasori gripped his shoulder.

"You're not going to lose her. You just have to believe that she will still be alive and well." The redhead let go and got into the driver's seat, and after looking at the full moon outside, Deidara got in and off they went, leaving the abandoned building to go silent.

...

...

Once Hinata was outside the ballroom, she stopped and leaned against a wall. She knew that this plan wasn't going to work out. How could she even catch his attention when those MGC crawlers were around. She was feeling tired and growing more worried each minute. She shakily looked up at the gigantic clock at the front entrance of the hotel and gasped. 10:30.

Just how was she going to catch his attention in thirty minutes? It didn't seem real! She closed her eyes and started to think while picking at her shoulder purse. She was becoming stressed out each moment the clock ticked on the wall. She had never ever been this anxious in her life. Ever since Sasori left, her confidence had been wavering. She _missed_ him so much right now, even though he was a pervert. The bluette was pretty sure that when she saw him again, that she would hug him.

Hinata snapped open her eyes when she heard a crashing noise in the quiet lobby, and looked over to see a man picking up items that had fallen from a cleaning cart. Normally she would go and help, but something in her body held her back as she watched him look around and set the things back on the cleaning cart before rushing into the elevator.

"We need to talk." The girl stood stiff for a minute before nodding and following the Uchiha onto the now empty elevator.

When the doors closed to the elevator, Hinata looked at the dial pad while feeling his eye roam over her. She felt a little bit of anxiousness when she remembered what Sasori had told her. She was going to have to do whatever it took to stop them, but giving him her innocence was drawing the line.

She would rather kiss Sakura Haruno than give herself up to him. ….

….

Hinata looked around a bit with wide eyes and realized what she had thought..

….

Although she wouldn't want to kiss the pinkette, she would if it meant keeping her innocence.

_Do I like girls? _Hinata blanched at the thought and felt herself getting a little sick. She HAD been hanging around Sasori too much.

When the door dinged, Hinata followed the tall man out, praying that this little talk didn't go that far. She watched as he stopped and swiped a goldish card before ushering her in. Before he closed the door behind him, she saw a cleaning cart being pushed past the door before he closed, and to her anxiety, locked it.

With a little pep in her step, she decided to look around the room and pretend to marvel so that he wouldn't ask her anything. Why was everything gold? The bed, the wall, even the carpet and window seal. Soon he popped on the light, and the gold just intensified.

He booked the Imperial Suite.

Hinata glared as she looked around. _Rich jerk.._

"You've changed...", she heard his deep voice go out into the room and come towards her. Hinata looked back at him and saw that he was sitting on the couch, leaning back and arms stretched on the edges as he watched her with his red eyes. Wait a minute...his eyes were red? The bluette decided to ask him.

"I-I thought that your eyes were obsidian.." She took a step back when his smirk intensified and the three dots in his eyes started to spin.

"My eyes change when I experience a something...new." That sent shivers up her spin and she quickly turned away from him, going back to his first question.

"I haven't changed emotionally. I'm still the same old me." At least that is what she thought. Had she changed?

She stilled when he got up and started to approach her. Once again, her body didn't react like she wanted, her footing stayed still. When he stopped in front of her, she lightly inhaled his scent and felt her knees shake. He was intimidating, very intimidating.

She jumped when his fingers slide down her sides. "You've changed physically though. Interesting." His voice held amusement and intrigue, yet Hinata could not release her own voice. Mentally, she was screaming to herself, trying to make her body do what she said.

She didn't want him doing this to her, yet her body did.

Hinata gasped when she felt his hand go up her bare thigh towards her hip. She stood still though, shivering at his touches and cursing her body to listen to her. Finally, a little string of hope flipped in.

"I-I don't think Sakura would like this." His hand stopped once it reached her stomach. The bluette looked up and saw him glare at her before taking his hand away from her dress and instead against the wall behind her.

When he didn't say anything, she knew she had the control then. With both hands, she pushed him away and walked to the couch and folded her legs, making sure to let the slit show as much skin as possible. She didn't know how to seduce, but right now it seemed like a good time to try.

Hinata grabbed her hair and started to play with it, ignoring how the Uchiha watched her bare skin.

"Speaking of Sakura, how is the wedding planning going? Hopefully it is well?" She looked up at him and saw his stare focus on her eyes.

"Fine.", was all he said before he went towards the couch next to her. She scooted over towards the edge, careful not to let him near her.

She gave him a sweet smile. "Make sure to put me on the guest list, will you? I would hate to miss such a ceremony." Apparently her sarcasm was overpowering, because soon he tried to grab at her arm, but she quickly got up before he could and started to look at a painting on the wall. She sort of liked this game a little.

He sighed in frustration and stood up, walking towards her once again, this time catching her before she moved again.

"Why are you acting like this?"

Hinata looked at him a while before speaking. "Because, frankly, I'm sick of you." He was a bit startled by that. "You're selfish, stubborn, rude, and egotistical and think that you can have whatever you want, when you want. Because you're _Sasuke Uchiha_." He continued to glare at her, but that didn't make her stop.

"You know what that means to me though? Not a damn thing. You're just like everyone else; you live and die just like everyone else in this world. Yes, you may be rich, and yes, you may be handsome and successful, but that doesn't make you King Tut, now does it? You can't just step on people and expect them to love you and follow after your tail. I wouldn't dare lower myself to ever doing anything like what you tried to start before. Not because I was played and basically thrown into this marriage, but because I have respect for myself and for your _fiance_." His red eyes started to spin, but still she ignored that.

"You're a horrible person, and I was a fool for ever loving you. I pray that Sakura doesn't have to go through the same thing I went through with, because I'm sure that she would be trapped and lonely just like I was. The day I walk away from that court house will be a day that I will celebrate for the rest of my life: the day I left a cheating, egotistical bitch like you!"

She yelped when she was thrown to the floor and didn't have enough time to catch her breath before Sasuke's lips met hers and his hand started to go under her clothing. She gasped when she felt his hand, and instantly his tongue went into her mouth. He had never kissed her with tongue...

What was wrong with him?

She was becoming hot in her middle again, which wasn't good at all.

The bluette started to push him away from her, but was trapped underneath him on the floor. She became terrified when she felt his hand creep up the inside of her thigh, making her squirm under him. She felt him lower his lips towards her neck; that's when she really started to move.

"S-STOP! Get off me!", she yelled and decided that it was the time to show him the mark. She flung her head back and let him see Sasori's work on her skin.

He stopped and looked down at it. With this opportunity in her hands, she shoved him off her and shakily got up, her heels twisting a bit before they became steady. With hitched breathing, she leaned against the the counter in the room, letting her breathing settle.

Just what had happened? One minute she was telling him off, and the next he was jumping her bones. The bluette held her chest and looked up at him in shock and disbelief of his actions.

"W-What is wrong with you?"

"Who gave you that?", his question had a lot of malice in it, and she noted how his mood swings scared her a bit. She covered her mark with her hands and glared at him.

"That's none of your business, Sasuke! I didn't ask you were you got your hickeys and lip-stick marking from during our marriage did I!" His eyes narrowed at her and he started to stalk towards her; Hinata wondered which emotion he would have now.

"It was that Akatsuki member, wasn't it?" She was backed against another wall, scared of his looming stature over her own. She hesitated in answering his question, but did nonetheless.

"Why do you care? You've moved on; why can't I?"

"Because you're mine." She stared up at him with wide eyes. His voice held a possessive tone about it, as if he really believed he owned her. She had to look away from those mouldering eyes, and instead made contact with the counter...

.A picture of a crying blonde woman met her gaze...

…..

She jumped when a vibrating sound radiated in her purse. Hinata looked at Sasuke for a moment, before slipping away from him slowly and taking Sasori's phone out her purse.

To her surprise, it was Konan calling. She looked back once more at the man before answering it.

"H-Hello?"

"_Thank God someone picked up! We called thirty-two times already!"_ Ino's voice sounded on the phone.

"I-I had left my purse on the-"

"_It doesn't matter right now! We know where Anne-Sophie is! Where is Sasori?"_

Hinata looked back at Sasuke to see that he was on the couch now, watching her every move. She couldn't let him catch on to the conversation.

"Where?" The bluette made it sound like a statement more than a question.

"_What are you talking about? We need to speak-!"_

"Where?" Hinata emphasized on it more. Now as not the time to play around. She heard the phone shuffle in the background and heard Konan's calm voice.

"_She's near a place called the 'Zeour's Shack'. Right behind it." _Hinata looked up and sighed a little. So Deidara and Sasori were going the wrong way..

"O-Okay. I'll be there."

"_You need to go with Sasori, Hinata. Or Deidara. Just don't go alone."_

"I got it. See you later." Before Konan could say anymore, the bluette hung up the phone and started towards the door.

Before she could unlock the door, Sasuke's hand grabbed her's and she was tugged back a little.

"Where are you going?" She knew that he wouldn't let her go that easily, so she turned around to face him one last time.

"Goodbye Sasuke." With that, she unlocked the door and practically sprinted to the stairs, effectively throwing him off from catching her.

Sasuke looked after the girl, only to see that she was gone without a trace. His face etched into a frown and with a groan, he muttered 'Damnit'. He had soon decided that he wasn't going to let her go that easily and went to the elevator. It was a good thing that he did.

...

After the Uchiha got off the elevator to the first floor, his room exploded, shaking the whole Hotel Ritz Paris.

...

* * *

**I hope you all enjoyed and I also hope it was enough SasuHina in it! This was a really hard and frustrating chapter to write (I restarted writing about three times). Oh, I just hope you all enjoy it! Don't forget to answer the poll on my profile and check out the amazing fanart that my reviewers made just for this story! Anyway I love you guys! Thank you all for your continued support! REVIEW! ;) I probably won't be able to update for a couple of days (I may just be lying) I really don't know. Maybe I'll write another chapter. *phew***

**OAN: If you guys didn't notice, Hotel Ritz Paris is a real hotel, and the Imperial Suite is actually gold. U.S. presidents and even Princess Diana have stayed there! Check it out! :)**


	18. Chapter 17: Found

_**Chapter 17: Found**_

_**"Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around..."-**__Bob Marley_

Hinata ran down the steps in a quickened pace, her legs forcing her down the long stairs. Even though she felt that he wouldn't catch up to her, it didn't stop the spiritual pull from leading her down. The bluette had wondered why her legs wouldn't stop at all; why couldn't she stop?

She soon made it down to the last stair case...

**..**

**BOOM!**

**..**

"Ahh!", she screamed as she tripped and tumbled down the stairs until she made it to the bottom, where her heels caught onto the wall in front of her.

Pieces of the ceiling started to fall, and she could hear loud screams and voices behind the door. Soon, an unbearable heat started to break out, and Hinata froze. She slowly looked up and saw what the problem was.

The top floor was on fire, and it was quickly spreading down the steps behind her. The bluette didn't make a sound as she threw open the door behind her and ran into the screaming traffic. Policemen and firemen were littering the lobby, and many people were bleeding from the debris of the ceiling. Many were covered with white dust, and were coughing, trying to clear their airway. There was chaos, chaos everywhere.. Hinata jumped and looked around quickly, the thought of Sasuke on her mind. Even though she didn't think of him as the nicest person now, she still had to make sure he was_ okay_.

She gripped her chest when she saw that he was being surrounded by people, the police, and the medical team. He was perfectly fine save for a little dust on him. His face was emotionless as he calmly brushed off the dust; he was okay. The bluette looked around for an exit and soon slipped out the back door, not seeing how obsidian eyes were staring at her as she went out.

She didn't need to worry over him; she had to save Anne-Sophie while he was being held back. The bluette looked around for the way, but say that most was in French. She grimaced again and cursed herself for not learning French; it would have been useful right about now. If only she had her phone, then she could put it in the Google direction thingy...

Hinata gasped and quickly reached into her purse before pulling out the black IPhone. Of course, she forgot that she had a phone. When she put it in, she realized that the place was all the way on the other side of Paris. How could she make it there in time? She couldn't call a taxi, she didn't know French. The bluette shook her head and reached down to take off her heels. She would do whatever it took to save Anne-Sophie.

With that, she slid the heel of the shoes into her purse and started to run to her destination, the phone out in front of her and her shoes bobbing up and down with each step she took.

* * *

"Dammit!" Deidara threw his gun on the ground and held his head in his hands, gripping his long locks in sheer frustration and hopelessness. Sasori tiredly picked it up off the ground and tugged it into his pants, his face etching that of hopelessness as well.

During the past hour, they had searched every place they knew, but couldn't find the woman. Every henchman they had also came in with the excuse of 'unidentified', which meant that she wasn't here at all; there was absolutely no trace of Anne throughout Paris. At least not any that they could find...

"Maybe they relocated her to another city in Europe? They couldn't have gone that far without the cops snooping the area.", stated the redhead as he idly looked towards the blonde. Deidara bent down and grabbed at his hair; his world was falling apart.

Nothing could sooth the aching pain he was feeling right now. His worst fears were slowly coming true; his mother could really be gone. After so many years of despising her, he now felt different.

When he was much younger, he had never left her side. He had always been with her, under her, watching that beautiful meek like smile grace her lips once he called to her after coming from school. The blonde had loved those moments when she would braid his hair, and tease him about looking like a girl. He loved when she kissed his angry, puffy cheeks after such a predicament. She had always been there for him, and he for her.

Why did she abandon him? Why didn't she stand up for him? Was it because of his dad's arguments, or how he threatened to leave her? Did she not love him enough to fight for him?

All of those questions that he wanted to ask her had vanished, and now the overwhelming guilt of hating her and downing her filled his heart. How could he tell her that he hated her over the phone? He shouldn't have done it; he should have asked her these questions. Now she was gone; the feeling that he hated her was now with her.

Sasori looked down at Deidara's crouching position; he looked like a child right now. There was nothing he could say right now that Deidara would take. It seemed like all hope was gone. The redhead ran his hand through his locks and pulled out the blonde's phone.

"We should just give Mondine the money to take to the Uchiha. It's a risk, but we have no other option at this point." Deidara nodded from his position on the ground and tiredly looked up at the full moon in the sky.

"Where are you Mother?"

* * *

The bluette had been running for seven minutes now, but to her it felt like an hour. The hot night air was becoming unbearable, and her bare feet were taking beatings from the plaza boardwalks situated around Paris. She was perspiring a little and her hair wasn't helping out her predicament. It would have been so much better if she could have gotten a taxi.

But she was determined to find Anne-Sophie. She couldn't stop now; it would only slow down the amount of time that she had to find the woman before Sasuke-

"Ah! Mademoiselle! Whatz a pleazure to zee you again!" Hinata stopped when she heard the Japanese dialogue that hinted French accent. She turned and almost burst of happiness; it was the chauffeur from before. He was casually waving to her from his taxi truck, a bright smile on his beard-clad face.

Hinata jogged over to him and leaned her head in the window, ignoring the beautiful voice playing on the radio.

"H-Hi. It's nice to see you again too – Um..." She closed her eyes a little, trying her best to push back the stutters coming on. "Could you…take me somewhere, please? I have money.." She threw one of her shoes away from her bag and looked into her purse, frantically searching for anything she could find. The bluette soon pulled out her $200 from her job and hurriedly gave it to the man, who looked at her puzzled.

"Madame, you don't havze to-"

"Just take it..please." She stuffed it in his hands and opened the passenger door. The man looked at her a little before starting up the truck and going down the road.

"Where to, miszour?"

Hinata lifted up the dress and held it in her shaking hands. "Zeour's Shack.." He nodded slightly at her and drove a little faster.

The bluette looked down at her hands, having the sudden feeling to poke her fingers together, but decided not to. Her stomach was queasy and she felt an overlaying dark cloud over her head. Her nerves were jumping all over the place; she felt scared. But not 'I'm so scared I'm going to die'. More like 'I'm so scared someone will die'. Something didn't seem right. She looked out the window towards the buildings they were passing.

_Something's not right...What could it be? _She heard a little coughing sound beside her, and looked to see the chauffeur glance at her before nervously coughing again. Hinata squinted her eyes at his behavior.

"So... did you attendz the ball of Mr. Elipope Roman?" Hinata nodded quietly, still thinking. "That iz an..amuzing dress you have on dear." The bluette snapped her head at him, a dull look in her orbs.

"Keep driving, Buzz." He smiled sheepishly at her and started to whistle a tune. Hinata continued to stare at him with dull eyes; was he the odd puzzle of the picture? She dismissed the thought and boldly turned on the radio so that the some-what tense atmosphere could evaporate.

The radio started to talk in the foreign language at a rapid pace. Hinata wondered why someone would talk that fast, but soon realized why. The bombing of course.

"Zomeone tried to bombz Uchiha! Ha, I knew that onez day it would happen! That boy haz trouble on his tail!" The bluette looked towards the man in suspicion, but played it off by her innocent tone.

"What do you mean?" He looked towards her and soon stopped at a red light.

"Everyone around Paris knowz that Uchiha is pushing drugsz into the city of Love! Hez been going on for five years now!"

Hinata looked at the man in shock. He had been dealing since he was sixteen. When Gaara had told her that Sasuke was involved in drugs, she hadn't known it was international. She shook her head and looked forward.

"How do you know all of this? Were you involved in the contraband also?" Hinata gave him an accusing glare, which made him laugh jovially.

"Of course not, zilly girl! I said that mostlz everyone knows in Paris! I know aboutz it because I used to be Tshikyo Mondine's Chauffer!" His words caused her to freeze. "Yup, Fugaku-sama and Sasuke uze to come to Paris every year to attend CEO meetings and launches; I used to drive them!. Soon enough, Sasuke and Tshikyo started to talk, and suddenzly BOOM!" He clapped his hands together and put it back on the wheel to emphasis his point.

Hinata couldn't believe it. Sasuke was doing these delinquents things, but why? He was so successful without working that it wasn't real! Why would he do these things when they were illegal. The girl shook her head, not understanding the Uchiha. Was it for more power?

"Why didn't anyone tell?" The man shrugged.

"Copz already know about it. They are bribed by the man anyway. He basically ownz this beautiful city; andz is tainting it with those despicable things."

Hinata looked out the window, thinking about such power. What would she do if she had the kind of power Sasuke had? Was that why he was so controlling towards her; because he could have anything he wanted? She sighed and decided to agree with what she had told the Uchiha: he was defiantly an narcissistic bitch.

They soon stopped at the place. 'Zeour's Shack' lit up in bright red on the building, and Hinata couldn't help but become nervous. What if she had come too late? What if Anne was dead? She gulped and decided to go. She nervously got out the car and walked towards the shack before waving fondly at the man in the truck.

She looked at him funny when he also stepped out of the car and came to stand by her side. Hinata stepped away from him.

"What are y-you doing?" He smiled widely at her.

"I'm afraid I canz not leave your side, mademoiselle. Sasori would have my head if I letz you go somewhere alone at this time of night." Hinata gave him a confused stare and gripped the one shoe hanging off her bag.

He held up his hands in defense. "Who do youz think tracked down Deidara? Itz was me!"

She let the shoe fall next to her hip a little, still wary of the man before her.

"So…you're Sasori-sans spy?" He smiled once again.

"The onez and only!" She felt a weight lift off her chest and without knowing, she hugged the man in front of her. He went still for a minute, but quickly returned the hug from the voluptuous girl. "I'm glad that you arez happy, but why?"

Hinata let go and started to shake in happiness. "I-I know where Anne is! She's right here behind the shack!" The man gave her a serious look, but she continued to nod and soon he got the picture; she wasn't lying.

The chauffer took out his phone and started to dial someone while walking back towards the car. The bluette plopped on the stairs of the shack and started to think.

Even though she was elated, she still felt that tightness in her stomach. No matter how much she cheered on herself, she felt like something bad was going to happen. The longer the man talked on the phone, the more anxious she became.

When five minutes struck, Hinata heard a soft yell in the direction of the building behind her. She quickly stood and looked at the alleyway, worry clouding her thoughts.

A sign that said library was situated on the building behind the shack, and it somewhat represented that of medieval art. Ino and Konan had told her it was behind the shack, so that could only mean that it was right there. That tight feeling in her stomach increased, and the bluette found it horrendous to sustain the pain.

She looked back at the truck once more before quickly strutting towards the library, leaving the man to his business.

* * *

Hinata found herself in a dark room in the library after countless looks through its many rooms. It was hard to see, but the bright moonlight coming from the grim-smeared windows gave her enough light to see the path that she took. The amount of dusts in the air and on the bookshelves she passed was thick and made the library look like it was made in the 1800s.

She creaked open a door and peeked inside before sighing and closing it again. _None in there…_ The bluette looked up at the large staircase in front of her. She was pretty sure that she had checked the everywhere down on the first floor. If the chauffer brought others, then they could recheck it later. Right now, Hinata was going by her instinct.

Each step she took, her stomach tightened in apprehension. Like before when that spiritual energy was pushing her towards that church, and when it was making her legs move, it was now ushering her up the steps. This was God pushing her. Hinata felt her legs go up another row of steps before she turned down a hall. She soon stopped when she saw a rutty door at the end of the hall.

Slowly, she took silent steps toward the door; one single movement and she could startle anyone in the library. The bluette put her hand on the knob and began to twist it…

"Hello there." Hinata let go of the knob and tried to strike with the shoe in her hand, but was caught by the male before her. She tried to struggle with the man, but soon felt him grab her wrists and pin her to the wall next to the door.

"Calm down, miss - I'm not going to hurt you." Hinata stopped her movement and stared at the male. Straightaway she noticed his very pale complexion. She slowly looked into his eyes and stared into darkness. He pulled away from her and gave her a fake smile.

"You're Uchiha-san's wife, Hinata Hyuuga." She nodded at the statement and rubbed her sore wrists. "What are you doing here, Mrs. Uchiha? You should be in Japan planning on a way to win against Nara-san." Hinata glared at him slightly. He was acting like a robot; all of his words held no kind of emotion, and that fake smile was making her uncomfortable.

"Where is Anne-Sophie?" His smile dropped when he heard that and Hinata had to wonder how he could mask his emotions so well. Just when he was about to speak, a loud slam radiated throughout the rundown library, making the rats on the floor and walls scurry about.

Hinata's mouth was covered and in no less than a minute she found herself in the rutty door's room. She didn't protest against him; he seemed to be protecting her somehow. He shut the door behind them and motioned her to go to the closet. She nodded and opened the dusty door.

What came to her sight shut her quiet.

The closet wasn't a closet, but a door to a connected room. In it, it held projections of security cameras. Hinata grimaced when she saw that the chauffer was on the ground unconscious. She thanked God that there wasn't any blood around him. She looked at the other projection and saw what the cause of that was.

Three men followed a tall man into the library. She could see the leader's face clearly and could tell that it wasn't her husband. This man had a grueling smirk on his face as he looked around.

Hinata jumped when she heard the door open and close behind her. The pale man was there again, but this time his face was etched into a frown. "Mondine and his men."

"A-Are they here to get Anne-Sophie?", she whispered softly to him. He didn't answer her, he just looked at her.

"Why are you so concerned about someone else when your life is in danger?" She looked back at the cameras before looking back at him.

"If there is a chance that I can help save an innocent life from the sinners of this world, then I will try to save them, whether it costs my life or not." The male looked at her a moment longer and turned his gaze to another point in the room.

His eyes held guiltiness about them, and Hinata was curious to know what he was guilty about. In his view point, a woman was lying atop a mattress in the corner of the room. In her point of view, there was a woman lying atop a mattress in the corner of the room, holding onto her life.

Hinata rushed towards the woman in a hurried pace. Despite the amount of blankets over her, she was very cold. "I have been taking care of her for three weeks now. I help her bathe, I feed her, and I even give her medical care, but she's growing sick and I can't conjure up at thought as to why she's behaving this way." He wasn't dishonest; the woman was clean and her hair was groomed nicely.

She was thin, but not like Hinata had pictured her to be. Everything was fine on her, but that fever and cold skin didn't seem right.

The girl pulled the woman to her chest and held her. At this point right now, all she could do was try to warm the woman while she watched the men scatter throughout the house.

Hinata looked closely at the camera and saw that the leader was still at the entrance with that smirk on his face. Another man stood beside him, a mask covering his face. Conversation swapped between the leaving Hinata exasperated. Even the pale man knew what they were saying.

She held the woman closer. "What are they saying?"

He didn't look away from the camera. "Mondine is talking about drug business and the man next to him is agreeing… he's now talking about Uchiha-san.."

Hinata's eyes hardened. "What is he saying about him?"

"He's making sure that the bomb killed him…" So he had set the bomb off. "Now he's talking about you.."

The bluette didn't want to hear what he was saying about her. The pale man looked at her again, this time with narrowed eyes.

"Do you know this man?" He pointed to the fellow beside the tall Mondine. Hinata looked closely from her position and soon nodded, anger clouding her mind.

"H-He was the cleaning guy I had seen before Sasuke asked me up to his room. I knew something was off about him." The man nodded at her and was about to get up, but paused in midair. His eyes widened and he snapped his gaze on the blonde woman in her arms.

"W-What is it?"

"They want to kill her and collect her life insurance." Hinata snapped her lavender orbs back on the screen and saw that the Mondine man was grinning widely.

So he didn't want his wife back? All this time he was planning on getting rid of Sasuke and his wife. Why would he go to such drastic measures all because of drugs?

A loud thump was heard outside the walls. Hinata looked back at the screen and saw that they were approaching the end door.

She pulled the woman even further and looked around, trying to find a hiding spot.

"Stay here and watch her." She nodded once more and watched him close the door behind her. The girl looked back down at the woman in her arms and gave a small smile.

_Deidara's going to be so happy to see you…_ She gasped and grabbed her phone from her purse. This was Sasori's phone so surely he would have Deidara's number in it.

The girl looked back up at the cameras to make sure the pale man was gone before looking through the redhead's contacts.

"S-Sai…" Hinata 'meeped'when she heard that and, in the process, fumbled with the phone. She looked down at the woman in her arms; she was still unconscious.

_Stay focused, Hinata_, the girl chanted to herself as she typed in the letter 'D'; the blonde's name didn't pop up. She sighed heavily in anxiousness and soon stopped fumbling with the phone and closed her eyes.

What would Sasori put Deidara's name as? She thought for a moment before typing in a profanity. When she put in 'B', 'Barbie' popped up.

"T-That is so l-like him..." Hinata sweat-dropped, but pressed the name and dialed it.

"Localisez la femme.", a voice sounded out by the wall next to her. They were close now.

Hinata looked back up at the camera, and gasped. The pale man was nowhere in sight, only the figures of the two burly men situated at the door. She clutched the phone for dear life at this point. She saw the large guns they were carrying, and soon she knew what they were going to do.

They were here to get rid of Anne-Sophie.

_"What is it?"_ The girl slowly got up from the mattress, her eyes never leaving the camera projections on the wall.

The men opened the door and started to look around, by now finding that it was empty.

"I-I found her.", she whispered into the phone, watching the men come closer to the 'closet'. "The library behind Zeour's. I-Isolated door on the right side of staircase." One of the men held his gun up and proceeded to twist the doorknob.

_"Hinata-" _

A gun shot rang out in the room, terrorizing the girl to tears…

On the floor before her, blood oozed onto the wooden floorboards, spreading towards every crack in the wood.

The pale man held a gun in his hand, a fake smile on his lips.

"Mission accomplished." Hinata shook in the corner of the room, still not believing her eyes. They were _dead, lifeless, gone._ Her eyes had never seen so much blood, so much gore. She felt dirty, and scared. She looked at the pale man before her; what if he turned that gun on her.

He stared at her, for a very long time, and she stared at him. His dark eyes held nothing in them, so she couldn't tell what he was thinking. The girl started to back away from him, and soon made it back to Anne-Sophie's side. He now looked to be contemplating something, questioning something with his eyes.

The man looked back towards the camera, and then rested his eyes on the unconscious woman. His eyes softened entirely when he looked upon her face.

"I will help you get her out.", he stated. "I would like to save her from…the sinners of this world." Hinata shakily got up and smile wearily at him, not entirely believing him. She nodded towards him and watched as he picked up the woman and went out the door, stepping over the bodies lying on the ground.

She was about to scurry after him, but looked up at the camera once more. She held her mouth in her palm and screamed into it.

Deidara was at the entrance, standing in front of his father, who was pointing a machine gun towards him.

Hinata grabbed the pale man's shirt quickly. He turned towards her in question.

"P-P-Please, h-help him! Please.", she whispered to him, her tears coming down, flowing down her neck.

But it was too late.

Multiple gunshots were heard, and Hinata looked towards the screen.

**..**

**..**

Deidara was on the ground, a pool of blood emerging from his torso.

"NO!", Hinata hit the ground, her heart slowly breaking.

**..**

**..**

_**He was** Dead._

* * *

**There you all go! :) I hope that this doesn't kill you all or anything; remember that this story isn't what it seems to be- I don't get what I just wrote at all. :( Anyway, DO NOT FRET! Okay, because I know some of you will, and if you all do fret, then I will be forced to give you all a fast update to clear up that problem. Well, I guess I'll head off. I'll correct any mistakes I have in the morning. I'm a little sleepy... THANK YOU TO ALL THE PEOPLE WHO GAVE ME WONDERFUL CRITISM. And to new reviewers, Welcome to My Story! :) The next chapter will contain Sasuke Uchiha. Pinky Promise.**


	19. Chapter 18: After Effects

***Sigh* What can I say...SxHxHxS, you're on my mind. Your review just put thoughts in my mind. **

The flames that I get ARE actual flames, also added in with insults of my character and plot. If I ever deleted any review, it was because it was a flame or it hurt me personally, and that is what you're right about. I have been deleting stuff that I deem too harsh and that I feel affects me. Everything that you put into your review I am guilty of, and I am so sorry that all of what I have done has dissuaded you from reading this story.

Good crticism is critism that I need to hear, not what I want to hear; I hope that answers your question. You are one of the reviewers that I look forward to hearing from, and it is disheartening to know that your long, intellectual reviews will no longer be written by you.

SxHxHxS's review has made me realize some things.

Why did I decide to write 'My Story'? At first, it was about my passion for writing and to help me improve on my writing so that I can exceed in college courses in high school; now it has turned into pleasing the reviewers. In SxHxHxS's review, at the last paragraph, s(he) says that s(he) remembers reading one of the reviews that talked about an Author writing what they feel they want to write; I've been writing on what my reviewers want.

I see why s(he) have stopped reading; I've turned my attention to writing what others want AND taking out reviews that I feel are too harsh.

From now on, things are going to change. I won't rely on reviews to make the story, I'll write what I want to and just pray that you all still love this fic. I will also not be moderating reviews anymore; anything that a guest reviewer posts will be posted. So flamers are welcomed now.

I want to thank you SxHxHxS for opening up my eyes. And no, I won't be deleting your reviews; I enjoy them too much.

* * *

_**Chapter 18: After Effects**_

_**"If you dont know learn how to be scared, you'll never really learn how to be brave." **__**  
**__**― **Simon Holt, __The Devouring_

Her heart was hurting, beating profoundly in her chest. She was on the verge of sobbing, but held it in and stood up on her bare feet.

She didn't dare glance at the camera when she got up. He was dead.

She had come here to save him from his pain, protect him, _care_ for him. She had even found his mother for him, but now, he was gone.

She wouldn't get to see those azure eyes, those eyes that she had admired so much about him. She wouldn't get to see the few grins he had made, or those inflicting emotions that came in his eyes.

"No..no..", Hinata chanted to herself as she walked out the 'closet' room, not caring that her feet was covered in blood. Slowly, she exited the room and went towards the staircase and looked down at the scene with her own eyes.

Mondine and his crony were still down there, looking at Deidara's motionless body. Just to think that he was now considered a dead person churned something in Hinata, and before she knew it, she was running down the steps, her shoe clutched tightly in her shaking hand.

Without any thought at all, the bluette struck him in the back of his head, startling the man beside him.

He hit the floor hard, which made the machine gun scatter to the other side of the entrance. She didn't stop hitting him once he fell; she continued to batter his head and neck with the heel of the shoe in blind rage.

Never in her life had she completely blanked out in rage, not even when she first saw Sasuke with Sakura. But this moment was different; someone's life was taken away. A life that she so desperately sure would be good once he had his mother with him.

She wanted him to know that he wasn't alone in this cruel world, that she would be there for him even if he didn't _want_ her too. The bluette had promised herself that she would do anything to save the blonde and his mother, but now he couldn't see that happy life she had promised him. All because he was killed by the hands of Mondine, a man that had no morals whatsoever; someone who didn't care about a life. Someone who threatened her husband's life and ended many tonight.

With that thought marred in her brain, she struck him harder against the head, not realizing that blood was coming from the wounds.

"How could you do this to your son?! *WHACK* He wanted to please you! *WHACK*", she continued to rant, not noticing that Mondine's crony, the cleaning guy, was pointing a gun to her head.

She shrieked when she was thrown off the man and onto the stone ground. She was knocked from her daze and looked at the gun in front of her; it shined in the moonlight coming from the rutty windows of the abandoned library. The man smiled cruelly at her and started to look over her body with his eyes.

"Que diriez-vous d'une bonne baise avant que je tire ?" She didn't know what that meant, but she was pretty sure she knew what he was saying by how he looked at her.

Hinata started to panic and back away from him, her shoe still in her hand. "L-Leave m-me alone!" She gasped when she felt someone yank her indigo locks from behind.

"Little bitch! You think you can get away with that!" She gasped when she heard him speak fluent Japanese. Had he wanted her to hear him?

He yanked her hair harder; she felt as if her scalp was going to come off. She heard him grinning on her neck, his hot breath hovering dangerously over her marks.

"I wonder how it feels to fuck Sasuke's wife." Hinata really started to struggle, but was head-butted on the stony floor. Blood started to run down her face, but that didn't stop her from trying to get away from the man. The cleaning guy smirked down on her, watching as Mondine tried to take advantage of her, even though a dead body was still in the room

When she felt his hand pull down her dress, she started to kick and scream. Without hesitation, the cleaning man bent down and covered her mouth with his hand, effectively muffling out her cries for help.

She looked up into Mondine's face for the first time.

His brown eyes were wicked and wild and she could see that wound that she inflicted on his head become bloody, making his brown tuffs become matted. He didn't look anything _like_ Deidara. Was Sasori sure this was the blonde's father.

He ripped her dress and stared down at the lacy bra she was wearing, a smirk on his twisted face. Hinata felt violated and disgusted. He didn't care at all.

Just when he was about to rip of the thin fabric, Hinata heard a voice speak out in utter annoyance.

"See, I told you that your dad was fucked up, but no, you just know stuff don't you." The bluette whipped her head in direction of the entrance. She felt her heart race.

Sasori loaded the gun at the entrance with an irritated look and before she could blink, shot at the crony covering her mouth. He yelled out in pain, and the bluette looked at him to see that the bullet had went through his hands, knocking out the gun he once held in the other.

Mondine growled and stood up, a menacing look on his face.

The man looked around wildly, like all of this was an illusion of some sort. "W-What the hell! What is going on here?!" The redhead shrugged and pointed the gun towards him, but looked down at the bleeding blonde on the ground beside him.

"I didn't think an arm shot would take you down, Barbie." Hinata couldn't believe her eyes at this moment.

She heard a groan from the bloody figure on the ground, and saw him sit up and hold his bleeding arm while glaring daggers at his father. His blue eyes were stormy, and a snarl was on his face.

The bluette stood still, her heart pounding too hard for her to keep up with it. _H-He's alive…_

Her heart started to pound and soon she stood and looked at him once again.

"Deidara!" When his cold, blue eyes met her lavender ones, she felt her tears come down. She saw his eyes take in her tattered state and instantly they softened.

"Hinata…" Sasori shot his eyes towards her for a moment before looking back at Mondine.

So the torso bleeding was actually from his arm being shot? But, that didn't make..

Mondine yelled at the two. "T-That can't be possible! I aimed for your heart! You should be dead!" The girl stepped away silently from the man and looked to the squirming crony on the ground holding his profusely bleeding hand.

"D-Deidara…", Hinata whispered softly. She looked behind her when she saw the pale man coming down the steps with the woman in his arms. She saw that a blanket was wrapped tightly around Anne-Sophie.

"That's what they make armor for, un." He stood up while holding his arm; his face was twisted in mild pain. "You fucking suck at aim, un."

Mondine stood back in shock and started to look around for any of his cronies. The pale man walked past him and towards the redhead and blonde before looking back at Mondine.

"There is no need to call for them. They have been eliminated." The pale man set the woman down next to Deidara on the ground. Hinata noticed with wide eyes that he lingered on the woman's face with softened eyes. "Sasuke-san will want to see you, I'm sure." Mondine stilled, his eyes as wide as saucers.

He shrieked and looked around for something, anything, but there wasn't anything; none of his cronies were here, and his only backup was still on the ground bleeding. Hinata found that his eyes found the gun of the bleeding man beside her, and with swift speed, she picked up the gun and ran towards the four.

Sasori saw this and almost yelled at her. "What the hell are you thinking! Don't run with it!" The bluette stilled midway and frantically looked between him and the now shaking Mondine.

"W-W-What do I d-do?! I don't know what to do!" She pointed it at Mondine, startling him into urinating on himself.

Deidara looked down at his mother, not concerning himself with the odd situation going on, and looked back up at his dad. He didn't feel anything for the man in front of him right now. He would have rather faced that damn Uchiha then look into the murky eyes of his deceitful father.

The pale man looked towards the other three. "You all can go; I will take care of him." Sasori stared at him for a second, then tugged the gun in his pants and carefully walked towards Anne. Hinata watched the pale man come towards her and she soon handed him the gun.

With a weary smile, she thanked him. "T-Thank you so much…" She lingered until she saw him give her a smile.

"Sai."

"Hinata, help Deidara.", Sasori demanded with the woman in his arms. The bluette looked at Sai for a minute and decided to give him a parting gift.

Sai stilled when he felt her warm body wrap around his. Her hug was gentle, but stern. She didn't care that she was clad in only a bra right now; she felt so appreciative right now. "Thank you, Sai." With that, she let go and rushed to Deidara's side and ushered him out the door.

Sai watched them leave from the opened door. Once they were gone, he turned his attention back to Mondine, his obsidian eyes now a bright red.

"Sasuke-san will be _elated_ to know that you were the one that placed the bomb in the hotel, and attempted to rape his wife." Mondine feared those eyes greatly.

They were the same eyes Sasuke possessed.

"Y-You're an Uchiha!" Sai gave him a fake smile.

"You can say that."

* * *

"M-Mama…", Naruto held Kushina's hand tight; he was shaking. Minato held her other hand, his eyes unreadable, and his face twisted into one of anger.

The nurse smiled sadly at the scene. "Doctor Eric is running her results off right now. Mr. Namikaze , he would like to speak with you." Minato nodded and stood, but not before looking down at his unconscious wife once more.

Sasuke stood in the corner of the room, his eyes also fixated on the woman on the bed.

Once Minato closed the door, Naruto snapped his eyes to Sasuke. "We need to stop this, Sasuke." Sasuke remained quiet, his eyes observing the cuts and bruises on Kushina.

He couldn't face his best friend right now; it hurt too much. He had been the reason for so many deaths tonight. The bomb erupted the whole floor he was on, killing 150 people instantly. But he was still here.

Naruto started to shake, and soon his tears stained his mother's pillow. "S-She almost _died_, teme. That chandelier could have _killed_ her. All because of money that we didn't get. Money, Sasuke!" The Uchiha nodded, but that didn't stop Naruto for ranting. "Nothing in this world is more valuable than my mother. Nothing! Do you see what we have caused, Sasuke! All of this drug stuff, it almost put our life on the line! I want out!"

Sasuke stilled at those last words, and snapped his eyes to Naruto's tearful face.

"I-I can't take it anymore, Teme!"

The blonde had always been by his side; they never left each other's side. He had considered Naruto his best friend, his eternal rival, _HIS_. But now, he wanted to leave and go…

**_You can't just step on people and expect them to love you and follow after your tail._**She was right, he did expect people to still follow him, no matter what he did or what happened. He _did_ only think of himself and what he wanted.

His family, they gave him what he wanted, everything that he wanted, but he still resorted to dealing drugs just because **_he could_**. Just to have more _power_. He was the one making his life so complicated, and now he was making Naruto's like that. Just like he made Hinata's.

Sasuke looked down at the woman again; the monitor beeped slowly as she breathed in and out. "Okay." Naruto ignored him, and clasped onto his mother's icy hand harder.

The Uchiha looked at the two once more before exiting the room and closing the door softly behind him.

He knew what he had to do now.

If he didn't do anything for anybody in this life, he was going to a least not think of himself today. He would get rid of this problem he created.

When he walked out the door, he saw Minato,Uncle Mada, and his mother down the hall, listening to one of the doctors present. He stood still and listened quietly.

"…the temporal lobe of the brain has experienced significant damage. Because the lobe contains the auditory and memory parts, I'm afraid that she may not be able to speak and/or remember the way she used to." _Damn._

He decided to leave, not interested in hearing what Minato would say. He didn't want to have that guilt weigh on him any longer.

"Sasuke.", Shikamaru stopped him. He nodded towards the man, and they both got onto the elevator.

"How's Neji?" The Nara sighed and leaned against the steel wall.

"He's doing fine. The doctor says that the bomb just ruptured his left eardrum; it should be back to normal in a month or two." Sasuke remained quiet, and they soon walked out to the front.

Shikamaru continued to speak. "It's a blessing that nothing happened to the others. We don't need more people getting hurt. I'm going to make sure to have my dad donate to this hospital."

The Nara glanced at him from the corner of his eye. "Well, what are you going to do?" When the Uchiha didn't answer, he sighed and pulled out a cigarette. "I would stop you, but I understand somewhat. You know who did it?"

"Sai called." Sasuke looked at the tall, bad postured man. "Mondine."

The Nara 'tsked' and pulled out a lighter, both of them now exiting the elevator. "I knew that guy was bad news; Bad call for him though."

When they both stepped onto the first floor, they ran into utter chaos. Nurses were running around setting up curtains and pulling out makeshift beds all around. Many yells and shouts were coming from the patients, and Sasuke couldn't help but stiffen. Were so many people hurt that they had no more room in the ER or other floors to take care of them?

A group of RNs rushed past them suddenly, a stretcher coming out right after him.

"HURRY AND TAKE HER AND HIM TO THE CARDIO IN ROOM SEVEN! TELL DOCTOR CHER TO COVER THEM!"

Shikamaru pulled on his cigarette, ignoring how the receptionist at the front was eyeballing him.

"Another group. Mondine has it coming." _I'll say…_ Sasuke froze when he saw the group coming in.

"We're going to squeeze you in the ER section, sweetheart.", one of the older nurses ushered the bluette past him. His stomached dropped when he saw that she was bleeding from her head, and that her dress was exposing her.

After her, the stretcher came, with the woman of captivation on lying on it. Anne-Sophie. Many nurses were around her, one with an air pump, and some of the other's ripping her dress a bit to get her blood sample. They were working fast; her life must've been at risk.

_Sai said that she was sick, but I didn't think this much…_ Right after her came her son, Deidara, who was also being escorted with her, not wanting to leave her side at all. Then HE had to come in..

Sasori. Sasuke glared at the passing man, anger flooding through his being, but it was short-lived by the Nara.

Shikamaru coughed a little and looked at the bluette be escorted away. "So she was also in on the plan to get back Sophie." He smirked and put out his cigarette. "Such a surprising girl."

The Uchiha didn't respond, he stepped out of the hospital with the lazy Lawyer by his side.

* * *

"I need an EKG on room 7, pronto!", yelled the doctor as she continued to bounce from room to room. _Thank God that they are speaking English._ She could understand English much more than French.

"Do you take any medications at the moment? Any medical problems I need to hear of?" Hinata looked up at the serious nurse as she cleaned the wound with antiseptics.

"N-Not that I know of." The nurse nodded and went out the door.

Hinata sighed and looked around; she was surrounded by curtains. She could hear the painful grunts and moans of others around her and she couldn't help but feel dread go through her. So many people were hurt, most likely some killed, all over drugs. She was getting tired of hearing about money and drugs. The bluette was feeling homesick as well.

Even though she felt sad, she also felt a little better. She did save some people tonight; she saved Anne-Sophie, and miraculously, her demented husband Sasuke. If she didn't walk out of that room when her friends had called her, she would be dead along with Sasuke.

This was a time to thank God, and that's what Hinata did. He had saved her, protected her from dead. She had walked right through deadly situations without dying tonight. It was a wild, bizarre night, but Hinata was grateful to be alive.

The curtain pulled back and she looked into soft, hazel eyes. She smiled at him and watched as he sat down beside her makeshift bed.

She didn't cower away when she felt him staring at her; she was too tired to do that. His eyes never left her though. The bluette looked towards him a little before pulling her covers closer to her chest.

"H-How are they?"

"Deidara is fine. Anne is in critical condition, though." She nodded and looked back down at her hands. His eyes were too intense for her right now; it was like he was trying to look inside her being or something.

A long silence ensued between them, and Hinata questioned whether this was Sasori or not. Just as she was about to speak, he stopped the words from coming from her mouth.

"A bomb went off in Sasuke's room…" She looked back at him and saw that he wasn't staring at her anymore. His attention was averted to the marble floors under him. His voice was so low, and that's when she knew what he had meant.

She sat up straighter in the bed and turned her body towards him.

"I-It's not your fault that it happened. We didn't know-", she whispered so as to not disrupt others around the curtain from listening to their conversation.

"I told you to keep his attention all night. If it weren't for your stubbornness and will then you would be dead, wouldn't you?" She became silent. "Were you in the room before the bomb went off?", he whispered to her.

She hesitated before answering him. "I-I was." Sasori gripped his locks and the bluette saw that his hands were shaking.

"You could have been dead."

"B-But I'm not. It's not your fault, you did nothing wrong." Sasori ignored her and looked back to the floor.

"And you went to the hideout without anyone with you-"

"That's not t-true. That butler-spy helped me get there. He was there with –"

"But he was knocked out when me and Deidara came. You could have been knocked out, or even killed by Mondine and his men."

She reached off the bed and grabbed his hand, holding onto it tight. "B-But I'm not, Sasori-san! I'm okay!"

"I shouldn't have dragged you into this, Hinata. I really shouldn't have." She pulled on his hand harshly, trying to knock him out of his guilt –daze.

"I wanted to come and stop Sasuke, and I did! I made you take me with you! Please, don't feel guilty about all that has happened!"

Hinata jumped a little when his eyes connected with hers. An electrical spark went through her at that moment, something she had never experienced before. Her heart raced fast, and so did the heart monitor in the corner, which made her avert her eyes somewhere besides his.

He shook her hand away and left out the curtains. Hinata sighed and brought her knees to her chest. Even though she was okay, he was still upset. Was it because she was so close to death? Yes, it was. Did he care for her, even though they hardly even know each other? Apparently so.

Hinata's head started to pounded then and soon she felt wetness upon her cheeks. Realization was really kicking in now. She could have been killed tonight. So close to death. She prayed that the families of the victims in the bombing were okay.

So there, in between the curtains, Hinata sobbed. She cried for the dead, cried for the hurt, cried for Deidara and his mother, cried for Sasori and his breakdown. She cried for the wellbeing of the ones close to her, and somehow, she cried for Mondine. Because she knew that he would be subjected to Hell for eternity.

* * *

"I-I'm telling you, Sasuke was the one that founded those drug sites, not me!" Sai smirked from the corner of the police interrogation room as he watched Mondine blabber to the detective. "He had held my wife up for ransom; Anne Sophie is her name!"

The bright, fluorescent lights shined down on the three in the room, showing the cracks and crevices in the interrogation room. It also showed the disfigured bandage placed on Mondine's head injury.

The interrogator shook his head tiredly and looked towards the smiling pale Sai. "You said that you had security cameras in the hideout, right?" Sai nodded and pulled the tapes out of the bag on his shoulder. Mondine started to frantically squirm around.

"Ya see! He knows that there were security cameras in the hideout because HE put them there! He's working with the little brat!"

The interrogator gave the man a smug smile and pushed his chair back before standing up. "We know."

Mondine froze, his throat becoming dry. "W-What? You know! Then arrest him!"

"He admits to the bombing, the drugs, and the assassination of Anne-Sophie on the tape." Sai handed it to the man, who looked impressed with how organized the evidence was.

"Anything else I need to know?" Sai thought for a moment before nodding.

"Cut out the last hour on the tape." The interrogator nodded and looked back at Mondine with a cruel smile on his face.

"I'll make sure you rot in jail, Mondine. You've killed over a hundred people tonight with that bomb, and you also stirred media attention. Tourist attraction will decrease slightly because of you." He shook his head once again. "And you succeeded in pissing Fugaku's son off. That's a no-no right there."

Right on cue, Sasuke and Shikamaru came in along with two officers through the metal like door. Mondine froze when he saw the Uchiha's eyes glaring down at him, and started to hold onto the mahogany table.

Sasuke looked out at the tinted window at the other officers watching the scene from the outside. "Cut the cameras." The little red light on the camera in the corner of the room went out, and Mondine started to panic.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Shikamaru pulled out a cigarette with a sigh, and quickly lit it; he was getting nervous at the situation about to take place.

Sasuke took the initiative to sit down first at the long table and soon after, the Nara joined him, both now staring at the man before him.

"Do you have anything you want to say?", Shikamaru asked.

"I don't have to say a damn thing!"

The interrogator glanced at Sasuke before interjecting. "You planted the bombs in the hotel, did you not?"

Mondine paused. "I didn't."

Sai gave the man a smile soon. "Did you not try to rape Mrs. Uchiha?" That's what got Sasuke listening.

Mondine thought for a minute. The cameras were off, and the police were already in the room; what could Sasuke do?

Mondine laughed, his insanity taking over him. "I planted the bomb, and I was about to fuck your wife until your little assassin and his friends stopped me! But what can you do about it? I'm going to jail! Ha HA HA!"

Having heard enough, Sasuke stood and calmly walked over to one of the officers. "Give me your gun." The officer nodded and handed him the contraption, startling the poor man.

"Why did you give him that! What kind of crooked shit is going on?!"

Sasuke's emotions were becoming unstable from what Shikamaru could tell. His eyes were red, and his face was emotionless as he spoke to Mondine.

"I'm debating on whether I should spare your life or not." Shikamaru stood at that and held Sasuke's shoulder.

"Don't kill him. He isn't worth it." Mondine sighed in relief a little. The Nara sighed and put in ear plugs soon after. "Try not to aim for his chest or anything. Just a quick shot in the leg; that's all."

Sasuke smirked at the man's confused and fearful gaze. "Hold him down." The officers rushed towards the man and held him up, ignoring his cries of fear and disbelief.

And with that, screams echoed throughout the police department.

* * *

Hinata stumbled down the cardio floor of the hospital. The nurse had wrapped her head securely and had also given her a hospital gown; she could feel the cold hair whipping her bare back, but it was better than the shredded dress that she had until recently, adored.

She wanted to see how they were doing. She had no idea where her Knight in shining armor was, and she really wanted to see if they were okay. Tents and curtains were set up all over the floor of the hospital, and Hinata had to question whether the hospital was overwhelming with patients other than the bombings.

When room seven popped up, she knocked silently on the door before going in. She almost broke down at the scene.

Deidara was staring at his mother's face like a broken-hearted child. Many tubes were on the woman along with a thick blanket, and her long, blonde hair was thrown over the bedside. She looked like a sleeping beauty despite her sickly state. Deidara didn't look up and Hinata took this time to quietly sit in the chair on the other side of the bed and also watch Anne-Sophie.

Anne was so beautiful. Her face so delicate, and her skin so soft. The bluette wondered what it would be like to see those azure eyes opening. This woman reminded her so much of the man sitting on the other side of the room. Their hair, face, eyes, everything was the same. There was no doubt in the girl's mind that this woman birthed Deidara.

"You risked your life for her." Hinata maneuvered her eyes to the blonde, who was still staring at his mother. "Why?"

Sai had asked her the same question, and she had given him her answer: to save Anne from the sinners of this world. But now that everything was over and the drama has dispelled, she didn't know why wholly.. She didn't want to say that she saved her because she felt obligated too; that was a lie. And saving the woman from evil was only part of her reason. So why did she risk her life for Anne?

"I wanted to save you from entering the darkness.", the words slipped out of her mouth before she could stop them, and it caused Deidara to look up at her in question.

The darkness. She had felt it before, but had never entered it.

She looked back at the heart monitor; a slow beeping sound came from it. That worried Hinata to no end. Her eyes met Deidara's and she decided to answer his question.

"When my mother died, I saw the darkness. My hurt and my sadness caused me to see it, but I knew that if I entered that I would end up killing myself." She saw his face twist into a grimace when she mentioned her mother being dead; he had almost experienced it. "If Anne had been killed, you would have slipped into the darkness." He didn't respond; he kept staring at Hinata's face.

The door opened and in stepped Doctor Cher. Her face was emotionless. She looked over at Hinata for a minute before looking at Deidara, who sat up attentive.

The doctor sighed a little and looked at the unconscious woman on the bed.

"Her sickness right now is dwindling. She should be fine in a couple of hours or so. We've found out what her condition is by looking through her medical history." Hinata sat up straight in the chair. "But our policy says that we can't release personal information without the consent of the patient."

"I'm her son. Deidara Suoh." The doctor's eyes widened a bit, but she nodded and continued on to her information.

"Your mother has Systemic Lupus Erythematous. It's a connective tissue disease that aims at the main organs in the body as well as the nervous system. It brings along periods of extensive sickness, but her sickness right now is dwindling so that's a good thing."

"But?" Deidara asked.

The doctor sighed once again and sat down in a stool. "SLE is treated with immunosuppression as well as with corticosteroids. Up until last year, she hasn't been treated, but the appointments were being set up." Deidara glared as well as Hinata. "Do you happen to know why?"

"My father…" The doctor nodded and pulled out the EKG results.

"Her heart is okay; the disease isn't attacking there yet. She's been sick for a while now it seems. If she hadn't been brought to the hospital sooner, her heart would have been affected greatly by the disease-"

The door slammed open, and in ran a tall, blonde-haired teen and a tall, Japanese man.

"Mother!" The blonde-haired teen dropped to his knees beside the woman, a stream of tears coming down his cheeks.

The atmosphere in the room changed from sadness and worry, to pure shock.

The doctor stood up abruptly and walked towards the pair of men. "I'm sorry, but may I ask who-"

The Japanese male turned and gave the woman a stern expression. "I'm Yuzuru Suoh, and this is my son, Tamaki Suoh." Hinata gasped and looked towards Deidara, who stood and looked at them with a look of surprise.

The doctor looked at all of them and decided to leave. "I'll be back to price the immunosuppression. Nice to meet you all again." With that the door shut, leaving the people in the room speechless.

Hinata looked at the scene before her with wide eyes. This teen looked exactly like Anne, and the father resembled Deidara's face structure and height perfectly. Could it be that this was his father? Mondine had looked nothing like him from the beginning, so these two popping up out of nowhere only told everyone in the room something.

A huge family secret was about to be broken.

At the wrong moment, Sasori came in, but paused when he saw all the people in the room. He looked around until he saw Hinata, and motioned her to come with him. She nodded and quickly scurried after the redhead, not wanting to see the major conflict about to occur.

* * *

Hinata walked side-by-side with the tall redhead. It was comforting to know that Anne would be okay, but still…

"Here." The bluette stopped and looked at the phone he was holding before taking it and slowly putting it to her ear.

"H-Hel-"

_"Hinata, are you okay?! Did anything happen to you?!" _Ino's voice came over the phone, and Hinata felt herself tearing up at the worried tone. A few tears came from her eyes.

"I'm okay, Ino."

_"What the hell were you thinking, going without anyone?! Are you stupid! Do you know how worried we were?!"_ Hinata missed that motherly tone. She sobbed and quickly handed the phone back to Sasori.

The redhead gave her an unreadable look before grabbing it from her hands. "Ino. She'll talk to you later." He hung up the phone after a minute and looked at the crying girl.

With an irritated sigh, he pulled the girl into a hug. Hinata leaned into him and cried some more, her wet tears staining his shirt. She felt his arms tight around her.

"Are you always this sensitive?" his voice was laced with amusement. It was once again, surprising to her that he found a way to sway her from a sudden emotion. Right now, she felt okay in his arms, and slowly her heart was feeling lighter.

She didn't answer him. She just inhaled his cologne and buried her teary face further into his chest. She could feel his heart beating in sync with her own, and the heat from his body comforted her greatly.

"Hinata." She stilled when her name was called. She felt Sasori's chin lift from her head to look at the person who possessed the voice.

Sasori sighed and let go of Hinata. "I think your _husband_ wants to talk to you." Hinata whipped her head around and saw him standing in front of them with a blank expression.

His stare penetrated her, but she still didn't look away. Sasori smirked at the Uchiha and looked down at Hinata.

"I'll be back in ten minutes." With that, he looked once more at the Uchiha and walked back to Deidara and Anne's room.

When his figure disappeared, Hinata looked up at Sasuke with firm eyes.

"What d-do you want?"

"You know." She did know. The bluette looked down at her slipper-clad feet. She couldn't look at him right now.

"I do. What I can't understand is why? Why would y-you do it?" He knew exactly what she was talking about; the drugs. He ran a lock through his hair.

"I wanted power." Hinata snapped her eyes back up at him; they held sadness and pain.

"Power can't make you happy." He had thought it could, but now, not so much. "I don't w-want you to d-do it anymore-"

"I won't." He sounded monotonous; Hinata tried to clarify.

"P-Promise me that you won't. Do something right i-in this marriage for once." That struck a cord in him, and Hinata felt his now dark eyes glare at her.

The bluette couldn't hold in her emotions anymore; she ran to him and hugged him tightly. He was surprised by this more than anything. "P-Please Sasuke, d-don't do this anymore. D-Don't do stupid things anymore. I don't care if y-you're mean, or if you hate m-me, just please d-do what I s-say for once."

Her words stuck with him. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him. He felt attached to her right now; he didn't want to let her go.

With a whisper, he spoke. "I promise."

That was the first promise that he made sure he wouldn't break to her.


	20. Chapter 19: Picking Up Souvenirs

**Sorry about the late update. I've been busy with my summer institute and all. I hope that this chapter makes up for lost time. I probably won't have the next chapter up 'til next Sunday. Thank you all for being patient. I'll revise for any errors later. Anyway, enjoy the last chapter of the Paris Arc.**

* * *

_**Chapter 19: Picking Up Souvenirs**_

**"Life lessons are also found in the dark moments of life, and in many instances those moments change our life for the best" **  
― _ Martin Suarez_

The sun started to shine then. Slowly rising from the horizon, a light amber glow radiated from the floor-length windows of the hospital, brightening the hallways and filling the tents and rooms of the patients with the hopes of a new day full of promise. The destruction of the hotel could be seen far in the distance, as well as the many people watching and helping the workers search through the rumble for any surviving victims. The day of horror had finally passed, and now a day of renewal and rebuilding could start. Not only just for the buildings that were destroyed in the process, but for people as well.

When the light ray of sun hit the couple, Hinata opened her tearful eyes and looked for the source of light. It comforted her abundantly and made her feel much stronger somehow. She could breathe now. That feeling of unaccountable dread was gone, and slowly she could feel herself come back down to reality.

Gradually, she removed her arms from around the silent man, and let them fall to the sides of her hospital gown. He was still holding her though, not seemingly ready to let the moment go. But in truth, they both knew that they had stayed in the moment too long. That moment between them was considered rare, taboo even. What would happen now?

They wouldn't live happily ever after like in fairytales. The tragedy that had happened didn't change the fact that they weren't on such good terms. To Hinata, it only made their relationship more horrid.

This whole trip to Paris, she had come to save Deidara from his turmoil as well as stop her husband from making a huge mistake: taking a life. But what's to say that he hadn't killed anyone already? Who knew how long he had been doing this?

He had gotten off scotch-free once again. The evidence of the picture he had was now burned in the flames of the bomb, and from her conversation with the chauffer-spy, he had the police at his beck and call.

He could return back to his life, the one he had in Japan. He would still be admired, still be rich, still be successful, still be with _Sakura_. His life would still be normal, the _same_, even though he had done horrible, horrible things.

Her life would be hectic when she got back to Japan.

She would struggle to fit in, to match up to the Akatsuki's and Sabaku's expectations. She would have to face Ino and her friends with the bruises and injuries she had acquired, and know that she had almost frightened them to the brink of insanity. Then she would have to fight to save her job at Ichiraku, if she still had it. Then the clothing line and her modeling career would come after that. This moment between them right now would _never _change things; all it had done was tell her that life wasn't easy.

Life _isn't_ easy. Sometimes you have to let go, despite what your heart and your mind tells you.

Without any repentance whatsoever, she pushed him away gently and looked tentatively into his obsidian eyes. Despite his detached face, she could tell what he was feeling. For the first time in her life, she could tell what Sasuke Uchiha was thinking.

Those dark eyes begged her to stay. She couldn't understand…

She turned away and stared out the window at the rising sun, not wanting to see if rejection would stain his eyes. "I-I can't."

"You can. Just stay." What did he mean by stay? "Come with me back to Japan." Hinata looked back into his eyes, stunned by his words.

She had obviously thought that he meant that he wanted to her to stay and listen to him some more, but in reality he wanted her to come back to him. She didn't understand; why did he do such terrible things to her, yet now he wanted her back?

Her feelings for him were inconsistent, always changing despite how she really wanted to feel.

Her heart had told her that she had loved him in their marriage, then it told her she didn't love and that she hated him, but then went against itself and said it _loved_ him again. Why did she feel like this? She was confused; she didn't know herself, and she was becoming frustrated with trying to find herself.

She didn't want to leave him, not at all. She was afraid of leaving…

_Pathetic women, clinging onto their husbands because they are afraid to move on in the world with the fear of being alone!_

She froze. Deidara's words were still in her head. _Am I afraid to move on?_

She was afraid of leaving him. What if no one was there for her? What if she ended up lonely for the rest of her life, without anyone to love or be loved by?

Right now, her heart lurched at the idea of going back to him; it wanted to go back to him. But her mind stood up for once and disagreed with the idea.

She took a step back away from him. She couldn't give him anything, she couldn't say anything. She was conflicted as to what to do – her mind and her heart were at war.

"Time's up." She stiffened when she heard a voice laced with amusement sound down the hall. She whipped her head in that direction, mistakenly making herself dizzy; she had almost forgotten about her head injury.

Sasori was leaning against the wall, his posture lazy and face unreadable. Their ten minutes were up.

She quickly looked back up at Sasuke, wanting to see what he would have to say.

Just then though, his phone started to ring. He looked down, not surprised in the least, and pulled the ringing phone from his jean pocket.

Hinata gripped her hospital gown in her hands, waiting to hear the voice that would seal their fate for now. The hallway, filled with the tents of the groaning patients became silent all of a sudden as that melodic voice drifted lightly from the phone.

_"Thank God you answered the phone! I called so many t-times! A-re you okay?!" _Hinata wanted to cry, but only felt the tears in her eyes stay still. She was frozen in place as she watched Sasuke only glance at her before responding.

"I'm okay."

_"I want you to come home, right now! Please Sasuke, come home!"_ The tears started to come down then, as well as a painful pang in her heart.

"Okay. I will." How his voice went considerably soft at the pinkette's voice and how he accepted her demand upset the bluette somewhat, but also made her overwhelmingly sad.

How could he respect her so much, yet disrespect his own wife? Was Sakura better than her? Was she worth his love?

Once again, a sense of betrayal was what she felt from him. He had forgotten her right now, and was busy talking to the pinkette over the phone. Hinata started to feel like dirt underneath his shoe again as she tried to wait for his conversation to end with his fiancé.

"Hyuuga, let's go.", Sasori's voice was laced with annoyance by now.

She wiped her eyes, turned, and slowly walked away from the Uchiha. The sunrays coming from the window hit part of her face, drying a little bit over the tears leaking down her chin. She was hoping that he would stop her, say that he loved her and would never let her go…

But he did not. His conversation with Sakura continued, and when the bluette looked back, she saw that he was heading towards the elevator, his back turned towards her and his phone still perched on his ear.

Her heart started to break significantly each step she took towards Sasori. Her gaze was on the ground; she didn't want to see Sasori's face. She was afraid that she would think she was weak, because that is how she felt. Weak.

Not only did she feel weak, she felt unwanted, unloved, unappreciated, misunderstood, upset, and unhappy. She felt like she had in her family, in her marriage, and even in school.

She felt like Hinata. This is how she always felt in the end.

The bluette stopped once she spotted Sasori's shoes, but didn't look up. Still, she didn't want to see his face, but had too when she felt his fingers grip her wet chin and tilt it up.

When his eyes met hers, she averted her sight towards the window once again. The large Eiffel Tower was right in their view, creating a perfect background for the morning.

_Mother had always wanted to see the Eiffel Tower…_

She heard him scoff lightly. "Why are you so faithful to him?" She sniffed a little and closed her eyes.

"I made a vow in front of God to keep my fidelity to him. I-I would rather suffer it out than break my promise to Him."

Sasori's eyes widened a bit at her answer. She was suffering, literally breaking apart. She had to watch her own husband walk away from her and cherish another woman. The redhead could only imagine what the Uchiha had done, and slowly he was starting to become suspicious behind his motives. Why would he hurt Hinata?

He obviously wasn't good at this 'comforting thing', so he didn't know what to do right now to knock the girl out of her depression. But he was willing to try. It was the least he could do after all the hell she had put herself through just to save Anne.

Her tears were still falling; with a light brush he wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"It's going to be okay, Hinata. I promise." She nodded a little, but didn't take his words to heart. Too many promises were being made today for her. Two were too many.

Sasori gave a low smirk at her defiant behavior. "Ready to get going?" Hinata shook her head from his grasp and looked down at her feet, a light blush coming onto her face.

It was a relief that he was okay as well. He was the one she had missed the most since the ball; she was grateful to have him as a friend now.

Pushing Sasuke to the back of her mind, she gave the stunning redhead a sincere smile and nodded.

But somehow, disaster found a way to rear its ugly head.

"You'll never be my father or my brother! Just leave me the hell alone!" A deep voice bellowed out of Room seven before it opened, revealing Deidara barging out and down the hall, not forgetting to slam the door.

The patients and nurses on the cardio floor squeaked and jumped at the loud sound that disturbed the little peace that they had.

Sasori sighed wearily and was about to follow the raging man, but Hinata gripped his hand before he could go. She gave him a small smile before answering his silent question.

"I'll go talk to him. You just console the others in the room." He stared down at the determined girl for a while before shrugging a little and heading towards the room.

Hinata soon followed after the blonde, resolute to calm him down.

* * *

"…she's going to be fine. Please don't worry! Doctor Eric is positive that she should wake up any minute now!", the nurse said cheerfully to the two blonde men perched by Kushina's bedside.

Mikoto held her chest and sighed in relief while leaning against the also relieved Madara. They were happy that their friend would be alright; she was very lucky. Most people that had got hit by chunks and pieces of the ceiling ended up in a coma or had a severe concussion.

Naruto looked towards the chipper nurse, excitement coming off in waves. "How long is 'any minute now'?! I don't think I can wait much longer!" He moved in closer towards the sleeping woman, his nose already smelling the rose-scented shampoo she had used before the incident.

"Mama, can you hear me? It's Naruto! N-A-R - !" He yelped when he felt a fist come down above his head. "D-Dad!"

Minato stared at his son for a while before sighing and shaking his head. He soon gripped Kushina's hand and leaned his head on her stomach, waiting for those beautiful eyes to open and greet him with the same warmth he had felt since he was a mere elementary boy.

Mikoto couldn't help but coo at the scene. "Aww, I'm so jealous! Why can't Fugaku be more compassionate?" Madara sighed.

"Brother being compassionate is like Naruto being quiet – It's not gonna happen."

Mikoto glared at him. "Remember when I asked you for your opinion? Yeah, me neither."

Madara sighed and let the woman lean further into him.

"I hope that she will be able to recognize at least a couple of faces.", Naruto murmured as he stared at his mother's tearful face. "It would be stressful to be in a world where there are no familiar people."

"She'll remember me!", Mikoto said in self-assurance.

Madara had the urge to roll his eyes. "Why so confident…"

Mikoto almost squealed. "We're besties! Our friendship and unconditional love for each other will exceed all obstacles that may come through life!" Madara and Naruto sweat-dropped.

"That sounds like somethin' dad would say.." Naruto looked over at his father, who was still lying on his mother's abdomen as silent as a mouse.

Guilt raced through him when he saw Minato's patient and hopeful face as he stared at Kushina. He wished that he hadn't put them through this. All he could do now was pray that his mother's memory at least consisted of his father.

He knew that if his mother didn't remember his father, Minato's heart would break.

* * *

Hinata panted heavily as she ran after the blonde man. He was headed to the balcony on the cardio floor, and the bluette couldn't help but sigh in relief once she caught up with him. With her hands on her knees, she sucked in the rich oxygen, glad that he burning lungs were cooled. The medication that she had received from her doctor was strong, so she would remember that running was a no-no.

"D-Deidara-san…" Said man turned towards the girl in surprise, but soon it turned to a menacing frown.

"Do you make it a habit of barging in on my life problems, un?" The bluette arose from her current position and stepped forward towards him and grabbed his shoulders, despite the fact that he was 6'2 to her 5'5.

She steadied her breath and slowly looked him in the eye. His face was scrunched up in anger and annoyance, but if anyone looked closely like she did, they would see disbelief mixed with a dash of fear in his azure orbs. That caught Hinata off guard for a moment.

She couldn't stop herself from questioning him. "What are you afraid of?" He turned his gaze towards the ground, his frown turning to complete confusion.

The bluette wanted to sigh, but decided to be patient. Just like he had done for her, she would help him realize his mistakes.

She let her hands slide down his shoulders, over his bare skin until it reached his hands. When she saw that his attention was on her, she gave him a smile.

"It's okay to move on, Deidara." He scoffed lightly and turned his head to look out over the balcony.

"How can I possibly believe that those two are a part of my family, un? It's too surreal."

"Is it strange because you n-never had a family before?" He gave her a strange, suspicious look before looking back out towards the beautiful city. He then sighed; she was the one who had basically risked her life for his mother. Telling her some personal information didn't me that he was a whiner…

"Mondine and mother were my family. All my life, I thought my father hated me, but now I find out that the man that I thought was my dad _isn't_, and that I have a dad who actually lives near me! And that I have a younger brother, un!" Hinata gripped his hands in hers and looked into his eyes, trying to further read him.

"A-Are you upset because you feel that your life was a lie?" After a long pause, he shook his head.

"You won't understand. You never will, un." He snatched his hands from her and walked around the bluette towards the open doors.

He was him leaving right before her eyes. She knew what he was afraid of now…

"A-Are you afraid that this could all be a dream?" He stilled at her words, feeling a chill come up his spine.

Hinata smiled lightly when she was that he had whipped his head to look back at her.

"What d-did you just say, un?" She had known it all along.

She turned towards the balcony and looked out over Paris. Today was a beautiful day for recovery, indeed.

"That is always what you wanted, isn't it? You've always wanted a family, a _real_ family. Now that you have it, you're afraid that it could all be a dream…" She looked back at the stunned blonde. "This isn't a dream Deidara. You have a _family_ now."

He could only stare at her in admiration. She seemed different than before.

He had once thought of her as weak; someone that trailed and followed others. But right now, at this very moment, he saw someone who was there for him, despite his stubborn ways and abrupt attitude. She had suffered for him, endured a lot just to save his mother. He had ridiculed her, called her weak and pathetic; now he was eating those words. She had changed dramatically….all for him.

His heart raced when he saw her give him a bright smile. "What are you waiting for? Go be with your family."

"Deidara! Let's go welcome your mother to the world of the living." The two looked towards the hallway and saw the tall, Japanese man from before, Yuzuru Suoh. He stood patiently, waiting for Deidara to come.

The blonde looked back at Hinata, but all she did was usher him with her hands to go. With a little hesitance in his steps, he walked towards his father, his real father.

Yuzuru smiled at the nervous man and threw his arm over his shoulder as they walked down the extremely long hall towards Room 7. "So how old are you, boy?"

"Twenty-one."

"Ah, well I'm sure that you and Tamaki have a lot of things in common, even though he can be the dramatic type…."

Their voices trailed on down the hall soon and Hinata smiled when she saw how Deidara smiled at his father when something was said. He looked happy, a complete opposite from the man she had seen a few days ago.

She sighed dreamily and looked back out over the balcony. The sky was a bright blue, highlighting the scattered clouds, and the trees plaza walkways and streets were littering with people despite the tragedy yesterday. The bluette would never forget Paris, that's for sure.

It was a shame that she didn't have a souvenir though…

"Good job in cooling Deidara down." She turned towards the approaching redhead, who was heading towards her at a leisurely pace. "You've been a big help, Hyuuga. Thanks."

"H-Hinata. I think I deserve that now." Sasori smirked at her, amused by her boldness.

"Thank you, _Hinata_." She playfully bowed.

"You're very, very welcome my good man." She mocked him in her French accent.

"We should get going. Temari and Kankuro are waiting for us."

Hinata gave him a puzzled look. "What about Deidara?"

"I think that he'll want to stay here for a while with his family." True. Hinata tried to see if there was anything that they had missed, but sighed and complied with the redhead.

"I-I have to get dressed first." The bluette led the way out of the clear double doors, but Sasori looked back out over Paris, a inquiring look pointed out.

"I can't help but feel I'm forgetting something…" He shrugged after a moment and followed after the girl, leaving the city of Paris to glow in the sunshine.

* * *

The attendant smiled at the three men and woman coming up the long stairs. "Welcome back! I hope that the trip went well!" Shikamaru snorted and made his way to his seat, a cigarette already in hand.

Neji came onto the jet after the Nara, a head bandage wrapped around his head as well as a blank face. Soon after came the Uchiha and Karin. The attendant looked around for a certain blonde, jovial man.

"Is Namikaze-sama boarding on today?"

"No ma'am. You can take off now." The woman nodded and made her way to the pilot's chair. The door soon shut, separating the pilot from the passengers.

"So Naruto is flying back with the others..", Shikamaru pulled out a lighter and proceeded to light the cigarette. Sasuke looked out the window, ignoring the redhead laying on his shoulder.

"Yeah." The Nara's lazy eyes cut at the Uchiha.

"You done?" _You done with the Drug thing?_

Sasuke glanced at Shikamaru. He had promised the Hyuuga that he would stop… "Yeah.."

"Can I take your word for it?" The jet slowly took off.

"My word is gold.", Sasuke muttered sarcastically.

"Silence is gold." Neji got annoyed quickly with all of the short questions and answers. His head was still pounding from his injury. Trying to catch a conversation with one ear was aggravating.

"I don't believe you.", Shikamaru challenged.

Sasuke glared at the lazy man. "I don't have Mondine to watch over it anymore. That should prove to be sufficient enough for your sanity." Shikamaru still held a blank face; Sasuke became annoyed.

"I dropped all the workers working in each of the sites. They're completely empty, save for the delivery trucks and the actual stuff itself."

Neji sighed and looked out the window at the buildings from the sky; he didn't even want to bother with the two men at the moment.

"You can't just leave the stuff out!", Shikamaru almost yelled at the man's insolence. "If that stuff gets into the wrong hands, Paris is done for!" Karin couldn't catch on to the conversation going on, and soon resorted to pulling at her red locks.

Sasuke glared more at the surprisingly belligerent male. "It's just drugs Nara."

"Drugs that could get people killed! Are you oblivious to yesterday's incident?!"

Neji watched as smoke came from four buildings. "Guys – "

"Don't you think I know that already?!" Karin looked between the two men with wide eyes behind her glasses, watching as they yelled back and forth.

"So why do you think that having them out wouldn't do any harm?!"

"What did you expect me to do? Blow them up?!"

Neji stared blankly at the fiery ruins of the buildings. "They blew up.", he stated lowly while staring solemnly at the scene.

The argument between the two froze and they slowly looked over at the Hyuuga who was calmly watching the flames roar, the head bandage making him look like an interested child.

When the two moved towards the window, sure enough, the four drug sites were burning and in ruins. From the jet, it looked like smoke tornados forming from the sky.

"What the fuck?", Sasuke questioned. Shikamaru only stared out in surprise.

Slowly, each male sat back down in their seats and looked at one another. A long silence ran around the jet, and suddenly Karin became uncomfortable and decided to move to the back of the jet, next to the mini fridge.

Neji looked at the two men before pulling out a magazine.

"You did say that the workers were gone right?" Sasuke nodded.

"Then…we have nothing to worry about?", Shikamaru asked with a little hesitance.

Sasuke shrugged.

* * *

"W-Wait, Sasori-san! S-Stop!", Hinata shrieked as she was almost dragged towards the entrance, past the nurses and patients in the area.

Even though she was excited to be going back to Japan, she still had a few matters to attend to. Most of them were finding out if any of the people she knew were still hurt. It would be rude to just leave them behind…

Sasori stopped and looked down at the girl with a look of irritation. "I don't like to keep others waiting, girl…"

"I-I know, but I really need to see someone b-before I leave." The redhead glared at her and gave her an accusing look.

"You want to see Uchiha?" Hinata waved her hands around frantically, not wanting him to jump to conclusions.

"N-N-NO! I-I wanted to see someone else, I swear!"

"Sure you do.", Sasori looked the other way at the tents being taken down. "Only a few minutes. That's all I can give."

Hinata smiled up at the man and nodded before rushing to the receptionist's desk. The elderly woman smiled at her before behind the mahogany desk.

"How may I help you ma'am?" The bluette shyly blushed and responded, surprised that the woman wasn't going crazy like the paparazzi. Almost every doctor and nurse here were very respectful of the rich and famous; Hinata was guessing that they didn't know her yet.

"C-Can you tell me where most of the Uchiha's and Namikaze's are?"

"Can I have your name please?"

The bluette looked around for a minute before leaning in slightly. "Hinata U-Uchiha." The woman looked at her for a moment before scrunching up her face in confusion.

"You mean that you're…Hinata _Hyuuga Uchiha - _?"

" - For right now, but we're hoping to change that to Hinata Hyuuga _Hitachiin_. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?", Sasori butted in right after the woman and came to stand beside the blushing girl, a light smirk on his face as he stared at the newly-realized woman.

The elder woman dropped her pen and her clipboard and stood back to point right at the two, not noticing Sasori's offended look.

"Y-YOU two are HINATA and SASORI!"

"It's rude to point.". Sasori muttered, which earned him an elbow in the rib from Hinata. People around were starting to look in their direction, and Hinata prayed that they would have the decency to stand back at a time like this.

Just how did the others get to their rooms without being bombarded by paparazzi?

The bluette tugged the redhead's thin sweater closer to her and shushed the almost squealing woman with her hand motion.

"P-Please ma'am, we need to know w-where they are – epp!" She squeaked when she felt a flashing light come from behind her and Sasori. They were already here…

The receptionist nodded quickly and started to scan through the papers on the desk before finding one that caught her eye. "Most of them are in room 4, right down that hall. The others have been checked out already as well as your husband, ma'am."

So he had gone back to Sakura after all…

Sasori gripped her shoulder and she instantly was knocked out the 'Sasuke' trance.

"Come on, Hyuuga." She nodded and followed after the tall man, her baggy pants brushing against her fingertips.

When walking down the white, sterilized hall, Hinata could see that a great deal of the tents were gone, now replaced with workers and caretakers as well as families checking out their loved-ones. She smiled a bit at the scene; she was happy that things were coming back to normalcy right now.

She would now have to focus on other things beside drugs and violence, like her friends and family. She dreaded having to go home to Ino with the bandage on her head; the blonde would never let her leave the house when she saw it. Tenten would probably want to track down the guy who did it, not realizing that the guy was either dead or in prison, Hinata didn't know. And Konan would be her emotionless, slightly uncaring self, Konan. The bluette would then she would see how her sister Hanabi was doing, and even hang out with her nii-san Itachi and her friend Gaara when he wasn't miles high in work.

Hinata looked to her left at the redhead, who was dully looking forward with his hands in his pockets. She smiled at this, which caused him to look down at her and give her a smirk of his own.

Yeah, she would find time to squeeze in her red companion, even though he was a sarcastic, horny Narcissist at times.

"YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE!" A screeching voice broke the trance the two were in. They both looked at her each other before taking off towards the sound.

"NO ONE IS TRYING TO RAPE YOU, KUSHINA!" Hinata and Sasori whipped around the corner and saw the commotion going on in the room.

Sasori made an 'ouch'face while Hinata gasped at the scene.

Three nurses were around the woman on the bed, who was crazily looking around like an animal. She could also see Mikoto, Naruto, and Minato trying to corner the woman from moving out the bed.

The bluette looked over at Madara, who was shaking his head. "Uncle, w-what is going on? Is Kushina-san okay?" He looked surprised to see her for a minute, but then switched his gaze to Sasori and nodded towards him before looking at her

"Kushina can't remember us right now. She thinks that we're rapists."

"W-Why?"

Madara shrugged. "She doesn't have on any underwear? Your guess is as good as mine."

"MAMA! Hold still!", Naruto bellowed at her, which only earned him a confused glare.

"I'm not your mama! You're all trying to trick me!", screamed the red woman from atop the bed. Seeing this as an opening, Minato reached and grabbed her by her waist before pulling her down into his arms.

She blushed when she was in his arms, but wiggled a bit to get away. "H-HEY, Do I even know you pal?!"

"He's your husband! And I'm your best friend, Mikoto! Don't you remember any of us?", the Uchiha woman asked desperately. The nurses stopped and stared at the odd scene.

"SO what the hell am I? Miso?", Madara was pissed that he wasn't mentioned. Kushina looked over at him; everyone in the room paused as well as Madara when her navy orbs met his red ones.

After a moment of silence, the redhead pointed at him and muttered her answer.

"Butler-boy…"

…

…

"Well that's better than nothing." Mikoto tried to make the atmosphere cheerful, but failed when Madara looked over at her with glaring eyes.

"You told me I was a part of the clique, that we were a trio!", he scolded her fiercely; he didn't like being called their lackey. She glared at him a little, pushing back the little guilt she had with a huff.

"You are a part of the trio. It isn't my fault that all of us have different opinions on the matter!" Madara had had enough; he pulled out his phone and started to dial.

Mikoto grabbed his arm. "W-What are you doing?"

"I'm going to tell brother - !"

The phone was slapped out of his hand, and he looked at the berated woman like a slapped child.

"Now, now, Madara. Let's not jump at accusations and resort to ugly things, okay." She coughed lightly in her fist and smoothed down her dress before looking stoically back up at the pouting man. " I apologize sincerely from my beating heart."

Madara glared at her once again. "That sounded so fake that I didn't even have the heart to listen to the rest of the apology!"

"Tough. You expect me to repeat it?!" She made it sound like a death sentence.

Soon enough, a childish argument started between the two. Naruto, trying to be mature, tried to stop the two.

Hinata and Sasori sweat-dropped. "So, this is some of your family?" Not really, but she couldn't help but smile.

"T-They are all my family."

Kushina looked back up at the handsome blonde holding her, a blush on her face. "Could you put me down? I need to get ready to go." Minato gave her a puzzled look.

"You're ready to leave?" The redhead nodded and was slowly put down on her feet. She looked over at Hinata and smiled a bit before grabbing her things off the chair.

"Mommy will be done in a minute, sweety. You just wait outside for her." Hinata felt her ear become hot when Kushina smiled right at her and proceeded to get changed in the bathroom.

Doctor Eric walked through the door then, a big smile on his face. "The tests came in. Mrs. Namikaze _will_ have a full recovery!"

All eyes turned towards the bluette at the door. Sasori was confused.

"So Kushina is your mother?" Hinata looked at him and shook her head quickly. "Then what was she talking about?"

Kushina came out the bathroom, newly dressed in jeans and a hospital logo shirt. She began to walk towards the two at the door, but was pulled back by her waist by Minato.

"Excuse me sir- but I need to go home with my daughter. I'll call you though if you ever want to-"

"BLAH BLAH BLAH!", Naruto screamed, fearing that he would hear blasphemy from his mother. He didn't want to hear that.

Mikoto looked over at the confused-faced doctor. "Doctor Eric, do you know why she is acting like this?"

The doctor paused for a moment before thinking. "Well, she seems to be remembering this girl to be her daughter.. Mrs. Namikaze, could you tell me your daughter's name?" Kushina looked at him for a moment.

"It's Ms. Uzumaki. But anyway, her name is Hinata." Naruto gasped and looked back at the bluette.

"B-But you're not my sister!"

"Because you're not my son!", Kushina yelled at him. Madara looked at the scene.

"Didn't we just spend almost two hours explaining why he is her son?" Mikoto nodded solemnly before figuring out the problem.

"Wait a minute, Kushina has been sic'ing herself out to think that Hinata was her daughter, so now that she has lost some of her memory, she will remember her as her real daughter?"

"Where do you come up with these explanations…" Madara replied with sarcasm.

Naruto became depressed and started to inch over towards his mother, who was still in his father's grasp. "Mama, I'm your son!"

Kushina stared blankly down at him before smiling and patting his head. "Don't be sad – Hey, how about I adopt you into the family?!"

Minato looked down at his wife and decided to ask a question. "Whose Hinata's father?"

Kushina blinked. "I had her asexually. Like a chibi plant."

"I can't do this.", Madara muttered while holding his head down, trying not to laugh.

Naruto fainted silently next to Doctor Eric, who slowly motioned the nurses to give him a shot.

The blonde Namikaze smiled at his wife. "You're my wife, alright."

Doctor Eric cleared his throat and looked at the pair. "I'll transfer her medical papers to Japan's hospital. In the meantime, you should let her go with the person that she knows the best. She will become stressed if she is around strangers at the moment; making the prescribed medicine I gave her work against herself in an effort to destroy some of the sympathetic system. Right now, she needs her immune system to keep her healthy. I suggest that once you all get back to Japan to start showing her around, making her get a clear concise of her location and what-not, maybe even triggering some memory of some source."

"Will she remember the rest of us soon?", Naruto asked.

The doctor nodded. "I'm 99% positive that after about three months she will have a full memory." A round of sighs went throughout the room and all anyone could do right now was stare at the blushing woman in front of Minato.

"Thank you.", Minato smiled at the doctor, who sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.

"The pleasure is mine, although I do have a selfish request to ask of you all."

"You have been so nice and patient with us that we could not refuse such a wish. What would you like, Doctor Eric?", Mikoto asked him.

"I-I was wondering if you all would take a picture with me, you know, something I could rub in my brother's face once I get back home?"

Everyone in the room nodded and moved over the unconscious Naruto towards the man.

* * *

"I'm sorry for putting you through all the trouble." Minato stated while standing outside the Sabaku jet. Hinata smiled at him and pulled him into a hug.

"I-It's okay, Minato-san. I don't mind, although I find it strange that she would remember me of all people." He returned her hug.

"It shouldn't be strange. You were such a nice girl for your age when you were in high school. Whenever you came over with Naruto, Kushina would always gush about how good-mannered you were, so its no wonder she remembered you." Hinata pulled back and looked at the Namikaze.

"I a-always thought that she liked me because of how I looked." Minato looked at her in surprise before smiling down at her.

"Kushina and I had had a daughter before Naruto." Hinata gasped at this and listened to him, her heart jumping a bit. He smiled sadly down at her. "She was premature, so she died only after a few hours. Then we had Naruto and after that the doctor said she couldn't have any more kids. She had always talked about having a daughter when we were engaged, so having you come around really helped her cope with that."

So that was why Kushina always seemed so attached to her? She felt that she was her daughter.

"I-I'm so sorry, Minato-san.", she bowed before the man slightly. He chuckled at her formal stance.

"Don't worry about it. Just make sure you take care of her. She can be a handful at times." Kushina passed by them and walked up the steps to the jet, but not before looking back down at Minato and blushing red. He smiled at her and watched as she hurried up the steps. "But I love her all the more."

"Minato, hurry up before we leave you behind!", Mikoto screamed from the passenger seat, startling the driver a bit.

"Pipe down before you shatter the driver's eardrum!", Madara yelled from the backseat. Naruto gurgled from the loud noise; the needle made him a little sick

Minato nodded and was about to say goodbye, but was cut off by her last question.

"W-What was her name?"

The blonde looked down at her and soon his eyes softened.

"Hinata." He kissed her cheek and soon got into the truck before leaving the secluded area, leaving the girl to watch them drive away with a stream of tears going down her cheeks.

_So Kushina and Minato named me…_ She looked towards the sky, right at the Eiffel Tower. _Mother… _ Her mother, so generous and kind, shared her own daughter with them.

Hinata smiled at the Eiffel Tower; her mother's beautiful face came to mind.

_I love you, mother…_

"Hinata, come on! I would hate to have to leave you behind!", Sasori called from the jet, his red hair swaying in the light breeze.

The bluette wiped her cheeks and ran towards the redhead, intent on not getting left behind.


	21. Chapter 20: Coming Home

**Hi guys. I decided to give an earlier update! Institute ended yesterday and I was all bored and stuff, so I decided to finish this chapter so that you guys (and myself) could read it. I really hope you all enjoy it as much as I did writing it! I might be a little shorter than other chapters, but I hope you all still enjoy it! :) Thank you all for being concerned with my behavior; I was just stressing out about the two weeks was all.**

**I also wanted to say that this story isn't ending anytime soon! Sorry if that is a disappointment to some, but I like incorporating my ideas into my story. This story is going to be long, so I really hope that all of you enjoy each and every chapter. **

**The drama is about to kick start in this story; hope you all can stand confrontation and bitter fights ('cause I know I can't). **

**This story isn't shipping into permanent HinaX parings yet, because, like I said before, this story isn't over. Gosh, she can't be tied down forever ppl; You never know who she will be with in the end, I like surprising others. :) **

**Also, this isn't a cross-over; this is a Naruto Fanfiction. I just added ouran characters for entertainment. Will they be in a few chapters, yes, but only on minor parts; and yes, they will have dialouge. I don't want to take the attention off the subject at hand: Hinata, Sasuke, etc. Most of you probably won't even notice them, but they will surely be in this story for a hot second.**

**So will Hinata really be with Sasuke in the end? Depends on the mood.. ^_^**

* * *

_**Chapter 20: Coming Home**_

_**"There **__is__** a kind of magicness about going far away and then coming back all changed." **__**  
**― Kate Douglas Wiggin, __New Chronicles of Rebecca_

Kushina slept wildly on the seats of the jet, her long, red hair scattered all around her and brushing the floor lightly. Sasori continued to stare at her, not caring that slight drool was coming from her mouth, or the fact that her shirt was slowly rising from her position on the seat…

"D-Do you think we should w-wake her?", Hinata asked the quiet man beside her and watched as he shook his head, that thoughtful look still on his face.

"The intercom should do that." He spared the woman one last look before moving his hazel eyes onto her slightly blushing face, a slow smirk coming back onto his face. The bluette could feel his stare, so she resorted to looking at the leather seat situated in front of her, not having the guts to look out the window and start up her paranoia.

She pulled out her cookie bad and threw a cookie in her mouth.

"So,. You're a virgin?" Hinata stilled when she heard his low voice; she was hoping he would have forgotten that. "And you're nineteen? God, what did you do in high school?", Sasori mused at her as he stared at her now red face.

"I-I followed the rules a-and didn't fall to peer pressure?", she questioned herself how she had kept to herself.

Even though Sarutobi Private was one of the best private high schools in America, it was still _high school_. At that school, there were still the cliques, the gossip, the drama, the sweethearts as well as the broken hearts, and, above all, there was _them_. All around her, stuff happened; girls got pregnant, some got HIV, some got into fights outside of the campus; there was so much chaos there within the buildings of the school that Hinata admired how it was still at the top of the lists of schools to attend.

At that school, she was at the bottom of the food chain; the loner. No one knew her even though she was in the class; they often forgot she was there and when they noticed most would call it out and move on. They labeled her as nothing special, just another girl in class who made good grades. She often felt out of place, like she didn't belong there. Even though she was in a room full of people, she felt lonely. She had hated this tremendously, but now somewhat appreciated it. Most of her class had failed; money could only do so much at an already rich school. If she wasn't in her books, she wouldn't have made it out.

Tenten had almost made it out; she had gotten married in her junior year and had a child in her senior year. The bluette remembered hearing about her during her freshman year; that's when she got interested in meeting her cousin's young wife. This teen had so much going on, yet still managed to keep a level head. But then, she dropped out. Just a month before her graduation, the pressure became too much for her. After that experience, the bluette became even more interested in speaking with the woman, and soon, the two became close. She remembered seeing Neji so happy to have Tenten move in with him in one of the Hyuuga's estates. Why had he treated her like this when at one point he loved her?

_How did I make it out of that school unscathed?_

"You've been married for two fucking years and you still haven't had your cherry popped." Sasori glanced back down at her. "Is Sasuke gay? I knew he was; what guy would miss up a chance to fuck their wife? Dumbshit." Hinata hated his vulgar words.

"S-Shut up.", the bluette muttered and pulled her sweater closer to her.

"A disgrace to mankind. I should have seen the signs; that guy hung out with Naruto and his cronies too much. He's got to be gay, that is the only explanation to it."

_If only you knew._ Hinata rolled her eyes and flashed back to the night of the ball.

"H-He's not gay. H-How did you know that Sasuke and Naruto were friends?" Sasori sighed and leaned back in the seat.

"Gaara _is_ my cousin. Before he dropped the MGC in high school, they came over to Granny Chiyo's villa all the time. We almost had to beat their asses with a broom to keep them out. They were so annoying…" Hinata furrowed her brow at the male and suddenly became interested in the conversation (and also rejoiced to get off the subject of her virginity)

"You had told me that this G-Granny Chiyo had taken care of you since you were born?" He nodded, his eyes slightly narrowed. "W-Why? Your parents are still alive aren't they?"

Sasori smirked at her. "When my parents had me, they were in the middle of the high points in their careers. They didn't believe in caretakers at the time, so they decided to give me to Granny Chiyo until they found a settling point." Hinata smiled at him and pulled her legs together.

"Did you enjoy hanging out with Granny Chiyo?" He soon eyed her with suspicion, but still she kept that smile on her lips.

"I guess so. We traveled so much that I kind of got excited to explore the foreign countries we visited. I spent the first years of my life in Greece, but when I became a child, I started to attend school in America for a while, but then we moved again and I was stuck in France until I was about fourteen, and finally we moved back to Japan so that I could go to one of high schools in Tokyo."

He had had a fun and exhilarating childhood; Hinata had wondered why he had a slight French accent. He had been around the world a couple of times.

_But still…_

"D-Did you ever get a chance to see your parents again?" The redhead stared at her for a moment, letting the pause come out longer than she liked.

"I did.", he answered simply, but continued to stare at her.

She became nervous; had his parent's died?

"S-So, what did you do?", she hesitantly answered. He continued to stare at her before he snapped out of his daze and stared back down at her.

"Well, I came back when I was about seventeen and visited them in Japan. I enjoyed seeing them and all, and found out that my mother owned a fashion company while my dad owned a software company. I could already tell who I gained my passion for art from. But after a while, the reunion became horrid.."

"W-Why?" Sasori rolled his eyes.

"I found out that six years after I was born that mother decided to reproduce and give me some _company_ when I decided to come home.", he said with distaste and annoyance on his face. "I now have a pair of twin brothers who are obsessed with me. You should have seen them when they saw me for the first time; they were so loud and clingy." Hinata sweat-dropped.

"Did you ever see your family again?"

"No ma'am. I have my assistant write to them for the holidays, but other than that, it has been about five years since I've seen them." Hinata looked at him with a blank look, but he could see that she was upset by her posture.

"Y-You need to see them more. They're your family."

"I know. I'll try.", he cringed at his niceness; being sarcastic suited him better. Hinata smiled a bit at him.

"So you're t-twenty-two?" Sasori brought her closer to him by grabbing onto her waist.

"Yes Hinata, I can still tongue punch your cookie. It's legal. I hope." Hinata pushed him away and stared at him in confusion and a little in offensive mood. She pulled her cookie stash away.

"Tongue punch my cookie? W-Why would you want to do that?"

Sasori stared at her with a smirk, not noticing the other woman in the jet sit up straight and stare at the two in morbid horror.

"Virgins. What a party starter…"

* * *

He had made up his mind. He couldn't go throughout life like this, not with hurting people like he had.

He was done. Finished.

He couldn't stand the way she walked away from him towards that other man; he couldn't. He couldn't stand how her eyes started to tear up when she heard her voice; he hated it with a passion. He had never saw so much hurt from her before. The call had come at the wrong time, but it was bitter-sweet. It reminded him that he still had obligations to take care of before he could ever fix the things he had destroyed in others' lives.

He felt his heart sting, his blood boil. He had knew a long time ago that he had fallen for her; fallen for her pure heart.

But he constantly pushed her away, not wanting to fall. He should have known it was too late for him; she was just too nice, too normal. Too beautiful.

Yet he managed to mess her up as well as others. He crushed her, demolished her completely all because of how he felt.

All because of him. His self.

He had never really thought of her until that day…

* * *

_Sasuke smiled lightly at the little flake on his glove. The first snow of the year. _

_He had been waiting for this time to come by. This meant that Christmas was around the corner…_

_He smirked as the tiny flake melted. _ Lamborghini Aventador here I come..

_"Come on teme! We're gonna be late!", yelled Naruto from his Porsche. Sasuke dropped his smile and sighed before picking up his sports duffle bag off the snowy concrete and running to the bright orange vehicle._

_Why his friend had got such a ridiculous color he would never know._

_The dark-haired teen through the bag in the backseat and slammed the door, resulting in the gasping of the blonde._

_"Teme-!"_

_Sasuke ignored the raging teen and turned up the radio, letting the Christmas jingle come through._

_"- my mom would blow my fucking balls off if she saw that I had gotten a scratch on my car-"_

_That's when he looked out the windshield window and saw her…_

_She stood atop the steps of the school, looking up at the falling snow. He watched as he hand reached out toward the fluffy precipitation, caution and gentleness in her movements. Then, with a steady hand, she slowly pulled back and looked down…_

_His breath hitched as a smile crossed her face. _

_She looked like a doll, a very fragile doll. He had never seen her before in school; he would remember that face._

_"Dobe.". Sasuke hit the blonde in the chest, effectively knocking him out of his raging zone. _

_"What?"_

_"Who's she? I never saw her before." Sasuke motioned toward the smiling girl. Naruto looked ahead with squinted eyes before he located her._

_His blue eyes darted over to the teen next to him; he was still staring at the girl. The blonde smirked at this._

_"Is someone in L-O-V-"_

_He yelped when a fist connected with his side. "I don't know who the fuck she is, dobe. Who the hell is she?"_

_Naruto glared at Sasuke. "Why the hell should I tell you now, you sleazy scumbag!"_

_The Uchiha huffed and leaned back into his seat, clearly upset that he wouldn't know the name._

_"And you can't date her even if ya wanted to. That's Neji-senpai's little cousin, Hinata. She's a first year, and you know how lady Tsunade is about third years dating the first years!" _

_Sasuke gave the blonde a look. "Neji never said anything about a cousin…"_

_"That's because he hates her!" Sasuke looked back at the girl, who was now walking towards a pristine white limo._

_"She looks like a mouse. Why would he hate her?" Naruto started up the car and looked behind him before pulling off._

_"The rumor around the school is that her father was responsible for the car wreck _his_ father was in! That's total shit to me! Who the fuck would do that to their own brother, twin brother at that! That's, like, killing yourself ya know?"_

_Sasuke rubbed the back of his neck. He became a little nervous; Fugaku had a brother…_

_But what the hell would his annoying Uncle Mada do other than hurt himself?_

_"That still isn't a good enough reason to hate someone.."_

_"Just like being jealous is not a good enough reason to hate your brother, but _you_ do. "Sasuke snapped red eyes to Naruto._

_"That's different."_

_"Just as bad – Hey, turn the station, teme! My ears are tingling – I know that Rudolph is playing, I just know it!"Sasuke rolled his eyes, but nonetheless changed the station, and sure enough, 'Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer' was playing._

_Sasuke looked towards Naruto in shock, "How the hell did you do that?" Naruto smirked and turned the corner._

_"I'm the master."_

_And thus, the two talked about Christmas songs, but the bluette stayed in the corner of his mind._

* * *

Sasuke watched the buildings pass by, his face solemn but his mind wandering.

Paris had taught him things he never would have thought to have learned.

He learned that everything wasn't just about him. In this world, there were others out there, going through tough times as well. They had feelings just like him, so why was he any more than them?

He had hurt _Hinata Hyuuga_. He had disrespected her, humiliated her, crushed her very heart. Yet still, she cared for his well-being.

He thought for a moment. _Why did I do that to her?_

His mind cleared and showed him why: Father Fugaku and the Elders. That was all he could think of.

His own Clan had started him on the path of ruin; who in their right mind would trick someone into marriage? Did they expect him to have no heart? Like an Uchiha?

Instead of inheriting his father's coldness, he just had to take his mother's psychological problems.. _Shit._

He sighed and slumped in the seat of the car. Naruto had said it right; he _did_ need help.

He was finding it hard to express himself. He didn't know who he was, he was slowly falling…

"We are here, Uchiha-sama.", the small speaker in the limo sounded and soon the door opened to the Uchiha's left. He gracefully stepped out the limo and nodded towards the limo driver.

He needed help, badly.

Before he could relish in this, he felt a little breath come from his mouth as a figure slammed into him. Soon, he smelt cherry blossoms..

"Thank God you're okay…Sasuke.", He could feel the tears seeping through his shirt as she held him tightly.

A pint of guilt hit him, but he pushed it back.

_I love Sakura…_

He was trying to see if he had felt it in his being, but after a couple of seconds felt nothing. So he didn't love her..

_But I care deeply for her.._

Yes, he did. Very much so.

"I-I love you, Sasuke. Please, d-don't leave me…"

But he had to. For her.

He was sick of hurting people; he didn't deserve her. And he didn't deserve Hinata.

He had promised the bluette that he wouldn't do anything stupid. Marrying Sakura right now did seem stupid; he wasn't in love with her, not yet. He would only end up leaving her…

Sasuke slowly wrapped his arms around her and buried his nose in her rosy locks.

_I'm sorry, Sakura…_

He wanted to change. He didn't want to hurt anyone else anymore. And he didn't want to hurt Sakura.

But he knew that if he married her, she would be hurt by his lack of love for her. Sasuke didn't want her to hurt and he wasn't ready.

He was going to call off the engagement.

With an inner breath, the Uchiha pulled her back a little and looked into those dazzling emerald eyes that shine with her tears. He would miss that face, but he had to make this sacrifice.

"I'm sorry, Sakura. –"

She grabbed his hands, a smile coming across her flawless face. "It's okay, just as long as you're alright."

She was trying to kill him. It was hurting _him_ to say this, but he had to.

He was evil, he knew, but it wasn't too late to change. He needed a break.

He smirked down at her a little. He opened his mouth and started to speak –

"I-I didn't have my period, Sasuke. I-I think I'm ...", Sakura nervously looked up at him.

Sasuke froze and hastily looked down at her flat stomach.

..

..

_What?_

* * *

When the jet landed on the Sabaku landoff, Hinata ran out the door and down the steps to see if she really was in Japan; she didn't really trust Kankuro with flying a jet. Him and Temari had argued the whole way, and she was wondering if the blonde had finally knocked his lights out. She gasped when she saw the little Sabaku airport takeoff in the distance; they were _here_.

"Left to France with luggage, came back with shit.", Sasori muttered under his breath as he stepped after the bluette. Hinata turned towards him, her blue hair whipping in the hot air.

"B-But we brought souvenirs!"

He stared dully at her. "What? I didn't see anything brought here." Hinata glared a little at his insolence, but held in her ill feelings and reached towards him.

Sasori stilled when he felt her body clash with his; instantly he felt a jolt of electric go throughout his body, like touching static on a rubbed balloon. She had also felt it, but was too caught up in the moment.

"W-We got each other. Our friendship is our souvenir…" Sasori huffed, but still casually hugged the girl back.

"Yeah, yeah. It is. Whatever. We both know that you just wanted to touch me." Hinata nuzzled her head farther into his chest, which made him move a little from anxiousness.

"You're right. I-I did just want to touch you. It just felt like the best opportunity to do so." He smirked and pulled her closer.

Despite the intense drama and stress of the trip, both of them enjoyed it. They found different elements of themselves; some were ugly while some were heart-wrenching, but through all that, they got through it together. That was all that had mattered in the first place.

Hinata held the redhead tighter, her nose taking in his nice scent.

What would happen now though? Would he want to hang out with her? Did he find her boring?

She wanted to ask him, but was afraid of his answer. Maybe he had only tried to get along with her because of his best friend, Deidara's predicament? She looked at his red tuffs of hair.

Or maybe he really did enjoy her company?

She didn't know why, but she felt like he was meant to be her friend. Yes, she enjoyed Ino, Konan, and Tenten very much, but when it came down to it, they all were her best friends. Just her best friends. The only reason she had called them best friends because that was only as far as a relationship went with her; most people didn't call her best friend when they started to hang around her. Because of her not knowing what a best friend really was, she tried to fill the void by telling herself that she did have these _besties_. But know, by being with Sasori, she finally felt a different type of relationship status; this was above that of friends.

She wanted him to be one of her best friends, right next to Gaara, but was, nonetheless, afraid of rejection. He probably had a million friends right now. After today, he would probably forget he even talked to her. That was how most things went for her…

Hinata became sad at the idea of him forgetting her and unknowingly held on even tighter to him.

He would leave just like Sasuke did. He would break her heart unknowingly with his rejection of her friendship, just stomp on her soul like Sasuke had done.

Sasori was handsome, famous, rich, and successful, just like Sasuke from a perspective. But personality wise, he was the heroine in Hinata's category. She really, _really_ liked Sasori; he was funny and very conversational. She liked people like that.

But what if he was just putting up an act? Sasuke put up an act before their marriage; who's to say that the redhead wasn't just there because he thought she was the vulnerable type. Was he there just to see if he qualified for her virginity?

"See, I hate to break up a scene like this, but I'm just that horrible person ya know?" Hinata slowly let her arms drop and looked around Sasori to the jet. Kankuro carried the sleeping Kushina while Temari walked after him, a luggage bag in her hands. "Get in the vehicle. Gaara wants us at Sabaku ASAP." Hinata nodded and stepped away from the redhead, careful not to look into his eyes.

She felt insecure. This was the effects of marriage on her; she doubted herself more than often, especially after _he_ walked out on her to go back home to Sakura. Sasori would never think to be her friend.

She slipped into the backseat of the limo and scooted over a little when Sasori came in after her.

He was superior to her. On a completely different level.

She sadly looked out the window as they came closer to their area. She would tremendously grieve not reliving those moments with him by her side.

* * *

"I-I'm sorry, but I don't have the money right now-"

"Do I ever ask you for anything Kin, anything at all?"

Kin bowed her head a little towards her lap, her eyes connecting with her huge baby bump.

_Yes, you do, _is what she thought, but didn't say. She had always given her siblings money, always the one supporting them, but they did nothing for her, nothing at all.

She lifted her hand to her stomach.

She couldn't support them anymore though. She had bigger things to deal with.

The beauty looked back up at her sister, Tayuya. "I don't have any money right now. Neji only gave me enough to pay for the triplets' baby stuff and Tenji. I'm sorry-"

Tayuya scoffed and picked up her Prada bag, the one that Kin purchased for her.

"You're such a bitch, Kin. You think that you're all high and mighty just because you're with that Hyuuga, don't you?" Kin snapped her eyes back up at the woman.

"I don't think t-"

"You are nothing, Kin. You never were, and you never will be. Don't forget where you come from, slut! Just because you sucked the right dick doesn't mean you have class!" Her words hurt, but Kin knew she deserved them. "Desperate little whore! Had to take a married man and trap him with children in order to survive. Pathetic."

A few tears came to her eyes as she watched her sister storm out of the mansion and to the car that Kin also purchased for her. The pregnant woman followed after her and stood at the entrance, watching as the woman pulled out of the driveway.

She painfully watched as her sister stopped before speeding down the street.

"I love you too, Tayuya." This was how things were until Kin gave them money. Her small family was the definition of 'moocher'.

Ever since her mother died, she had been taking care of her siblings Zaku, Tayuya, and Dosu.

She and her family had lived in the poor part of Japan, a contrast to where all of the rich Clans were. She had always envied them; they had everything and still complained about things they didn't want or have.

Her mother struggled every day to provide for them, always trying to find a way to pay the bills and keep food on the table. But always, there were her siblings who didn't understand their mother's pain, and often cursed at her and complained about their living habits.

Out of four children, only one listened and respected her, and that was Kin. Kin loved their mother very much; she saw her as a strong, single parent who tried her best to give them what they needed despite her ill health. Because of this, Kin believed that one day, their family would be stable and wouldn't struggle with bills and food, and thus, she decided to make her mother proud and show her appreciation.

She worked hard in school and prayed hard. She worked so hard that she got top of her class and was awarded a scholarship in middle school to attend the prestigious Sarutobi Private. She could still remember her mother's teary face when she saw her in the newspaper for the accomplishment, but couldn't remember how her siblings eyed her with hate and resentment. Soon, better days came; her mother got promoted to an executive in a corporate business.

Then the bad the days came…

Her mother was diagnosed with stage four cancer and was only to live for two weeks.

Her world had fallen apart…

She had spent the two weeks with her mother, not caring about being absent from school, not caring about how her siblings cried with grief over their dying mother. Instead of studying, she cooked for her siblings, helped her mother take her medication among other things. School wasn't on her mind then; the only person that had loved her was being taken away, and there wasn't anything she could do about it. Kin had always been _there_; losing her mother was like losing her will to live.

One week later, their mother died unexpectedly, right next to the sleeping Kin on her bed. The cancer had spread too far, further than the doctors expected, which shortened the two weeks.

Everything went so fast for the beauty.

During the same week, the funeral happened. Because they didn't have any insurance, Kin had to use the scholarship money for her mother's burial. Not even her oldest sibling, Zaku, could help with the costs of the funeral; his drug addiction took all the money he made from his small job.

After the funeral, Kin had to step up and provide for the family even though she was the youngest. She had feared that she would have to drop out of school, but decided that her education mattered just as much as her family.

That's when she decided to do whatever it took.

Just one week after the funeral, Kin lost her virginity.

She was a smart girl, true, but she wasn't smart enough to know exactly what to do. She started to sell her body for money, each month going to the landlord and paying him with the bruises she acquired from the rough play.

Soon, the landlord proposed free months without pay if she 'helped' him out.

That's when the chain started.

The money she got piled up, and as quickly as it came, it was dished out to her older sibs.

They didn't care about what she did as long as she had the money. They didn't care that their little sister was prostituting, selling her body. They didn't even care when one day she came home from being raped by her client. No, the yen was what they counted, not the amount of nights she spent gone from home.

Because of their spending, Kin needed more money for school.

Pretty soon, the students at Sarutobi Private found out. And soon the bullying started.

She experienced the ridicule, the humiliation, the names. She even experienced the seclusion that came with the bullying. She didn't have any friends anymore; the few, distant ones were gone.

She was alone again. No one loved her, no one _wanted_ her. Everyone had it so easy it seemed.

Kin didn't feel the love she once had gotten when her mother was alive. She was thrown into the real, harsh world of reality. But still, she had to take care of her siblings, even though they were old enough to move on.

They soon started to pressure her more about money, how they wanted it. She didn't feel their love, not at all. But still, they _made_ her do it. They didn't care about her.

But she felt obligated to do what they said; their mother had taken care of them. Now it was her job now it seemed…

So she continued to do it, but not without condoms, which often left her with less money than she asked for.

She did this her four years of Sarutobi Private, and graduated.

Even though no one was there at her graduation, she still smiled, because she knew that this was what her mother would have wanted.

But after graduation, problems still occurred.

Zaku, the eldest of her siblings, owed one of the local drug dealers in the area, and said man was threatening to kill all of them. All for money. 700,000 yen.

Where could she get that kind of money from?

That's where Gaara came in. She had known that he was playing her, wanting to humiliate her. She was eager to say no, and that's what she did, but after what Zaku had told her, she ran back to the redhead and accepted…

With sadness and humiliation in her heart, she did the tape with the redhead, but surprisingly enjoyed it, and after felt disgust crawl through her.

She hated that cocky smirk he had when he finished and zipped up his pants, but she dealt with it.

Her life was ruined it seemed. Feeling unworthy, she stopped her dreams of being a pediatric doctor and became a porn star, something she knew she was good at.

Her heart was empty and her mind was blank. At eighteen, she was in the business of sex. She hated it, but was called a 'natural' at it. She knew what to do, what to expect.

And even after all this, she took care of her siblings.

They were living a life off of her accomplishments, a life filled with fun and happiness while she was cursed to provide. She couldn't find it in her heart to drop them even though they were using her; she didn't have anyone else.

Then one day, one beautiful day, she met Neji…

Kin was knocked out of her daze when she heard the slamming of car doors.

A smile came to her face when she saw dark, chocolate locks emerge from the expensive vehicle to reveal him…

She gasped when she saw his bandage.

He looked up and saw her on the steps, mouth open in surprise and slowly gave her a small smile.

"Kin."

* * *

Hinata waited from the chauffer to open the door before stepping out and coming face to face with Ino's house. She smiled a bit and turned to wave the rest goodbye, but saw that Kushina and Sasori also stood behind her, the limo now gone. She had almost forgotten that the red-haired woman was with her.

"This place brings back memories…" Hinata nodded a little at the redhead's words; it did bring up memories. Just days ago, she and Deidara were arguing. Now she didn't know where their relationship stood…

Ino's Rolls Royce stood parked in the driveway next to the bluette's Ferrari; she was still here. Hinata exhaled a little before walking up the steps towards the house and stopping right in front of the beautifully structured door.

Many thoughts ran through her mind when she looked at the door. Since the scandal, this place had been her home, her safe haven. Ino had always been there for her. She was nervous; what if Ino was still made at her? What would she saw about her head injury?

She didn't want to make the woman worry. When she had left to France, she told Sasori she had nothing to lose; right now she could look back on her actions and know that she did have something to lose.

She could have lost Ino, Konan, Tenten, her sister, even her father; so many people she could have lost and hurt in her decisions. She had been causing everyone so much stress and pain right now, yet they were still by her side throughout it.

Hinata appreciated them more than ever at this point.

"Why don't you knock on the door? Are you afraid or something?" Sasori's voice calmed her nerves, but also brought up that feeling of loneliness and sadness. Before she knocked on the door, she had to ask…

"Sasori…do you see me as someone you would talk to?" He remained unfazed by her question, he simply looked at her.

"Unfortunately," Hinata's heart clenched. "- yes, I do see you as someone I would talk to. I don't mind speaking with you about certain things. You saved a couple of lives; it's safe to say I do trust you."

Kushina looked at the two blankly, just watching how they interacted.

"Can I be one of your friends that you value?", Sasori asked in a momentous voice as he stared at the door. Hinata looked at him a little before looking back at the door.

"I-If I can be one that you value…" He smirked in fascination.

"Sure. Whatever." Hinata smiled and lifted her hand to knock on the door

Only for it to open and reveal the blonde in all her glory with the gothic woman by her side.

"Hinata!", before the bluette knew it, she was enveloped in a warm hug by Ino. "You're okay."

Hinata started to tear up at the blonde's cracking voice; her eyes became overloaded with tears and soon her heart went heavy. She wrapped her arms around the blonde and cried onto her shoulder. Konan grimaced as she was pulled into the hug by Ino, but complied anyway much to her distaste.

Hinata hugged both of the women, not intending to let them go for a while.

She was glad to be back.

* * *

**Kind of Random I know, but this is only a taste of drama that is to come. Hinata and Sasuke as well as other moments are coming up.**

**I hope you all liked it! I'll revise later.**

**Question: What do you guys like about this story? I'm just curious to know :)**

**OAN: if you all haven't noticed, I mostly update after** _Tsuki no Talia _**updates. I don't know why, but we always come right after each other. It's good because I can read her fic and she can read mine. Sort of like team effort or something. Anyway, when she updates, 9 times out of 10 I'll already be done writing my next chapter.**

**The next chapter will be focused on Hinata's career (today is Wednesday is this fic, that means Thursday is the meeting) as well as Sasuke's predicament. It might also touch Tenten and Neji for a moment. I hope this answers some of your questions. This story is about to get straightened up; I pray you all enjoy it.**

**Oh...Review Please :)**


	22. Chapter 21: Motherly Love

**Author's Notes:**

Hello my pretties! Look, another chapter! This was a pickle to write, but hey, I did it! ;D Yay for me and for you all too!

So...school is next month...damn damn damn! I'm still not even done with this fic, which was my goal, but you know what, I won't give up.

Also, I just wanted to point out that yes, I did make up the word **'bluette'** because I'm cool like that! ^_^ yup!

I read over my review the other day too, and I was so surprised to see that some of you were having a little debate on who you all think should be a pairing for Hinata! Don't fight, please! Someone even tried to defend Sasuke, which was so adorable, really. I hope you guys like this chapter, it is filled with emotion and surprise! Hopefully I can update sooner, like maybe tomorrow...

I love all of the naruto characters! They're my babies (especially Sakura and Hinata!) I hate to bash any of the characters, really, so I just have to put in a background story to let you see who they were and what led up to that point, so...yeah...

Guess it's time for me to start back studying nursing again...eh... Oh, I'm 16 (some were actually surprised to see that on my profile.

Thank you for all of your reviews and support! If you have any questions or concerns or you just want to talk, feel free to message me or put it in your review! (I get lonely too!)

OAN: Tongue-punching a cookie...if you don't know, you don't want to know... xD

* * *

_**Chapter 21: Motherly Love**_

_**"There's a story behind everything..but behind all your stories is always your mother's story..because hers is where yours begins." **__**  
**― Mitch Albom, __For One More Day_

Doctor Shizune smiled at the two as she came into the room with the results. Sasuke felt Sakura squeeze his hand even harder from her position on the white-papered bed. They both were nervous, it's just that Sasuke had gotten good at hiding his emotions while Sakura was, on the other hand, quite fearful and projected her emotions on her sleeve.

That was one of the reasons why they fitted well together.

The woman sat down on the stool and pulled out the results, making the two tense up.

They weren't ready for a child. They were too young, and right now things in their lives were getting complicated.

Sasuke was on the verge of calling off the engagement; if a child got involved there was no way that he would leave the pinkette. On top of that, he was busy with Uchiha's newly renamed company Sharingan and MGC as well as interviews dealing with certain matters.

Sakura was getting even busier with arranged photo shoots and fashion shows that Uchiha Corporation was planning.

The two were just too busy right now.

Shizune cleared her throat and opened the results. Sasuke winced inwardly when he heard her 'hn', which often wasn't a good sign at all…

But would being pregnant be a good thing to most doctors.

"Unfortunately, you are not pregnant, Ms. Haruno." Simultaneously, they both sighed in relief over the matter. Shizune gave the two the eye. "Having a baby is a miracle in the making. If you two would like, I could have an obstetrician talk to you about the birthing cycle-"

"That won't be necessary.", Sakura stated with a smile. "Could you tell me why my monthly cycle isn't occurring? Am I sick?"

"Oh, no, not at all. The reason your body isn't acting correctly is because of the sudden change of your behavior. Have you been stressed out lately, Ms. Haruno?" The pinkette looked at Sasuke for a moment before nodding slowly.

"I have."

Shizune quickly set the results on the bed in front of her and pulled out her clipboard, jotting down the woman's answers.

"Have you been eating properly the past few weeks?"

Sakura looked at their intertwined hands for a moment. "I-I haven't."

"And you also haven't been drinking enough water…", the doctor jotted that down as well, missing the slight look that Sasuke gave the woman. So she hadn't been doing well since he went to France…

Shizune smiled back up at the two. "We're going to hook you up to an IV, Ms. Haruno. Is that fine?"

"W-Why? I thought you said I was fine?", the woman stuttered.

"You are severely dehydrated. I'm afraid I can't let you leave the hospital until your levels are back to a normal." Sakura sighed, but let the woman usher a nurse in to start the IV.

Sasuke just stared solemnly at the pinkette, and saw her smile sadly at him.

"You know better…"

Sakura nodded. "I'm sorry. I-I was so worried about you. One minute I was looking at venues with mom, and the next I get a call from my friend telling me to turn on my tv. That bomb went off in your room! I thought you were dead!"

"That still doesn't explain why you haven't been eating properly the past few weeks.", he stated in his emotionless tone. The pinkette nodded once more before bowing her head, her long pink locks falling over her shoulder.

"There's a rumor going around that Sabaku and Akatsuki are going to launch a line so popular that they'll even have Milan calling for orders. They've done it in the past, so I thought that I should start losing a bit more weight so that I can still model for Uchiha…"

Sasuke glared at her. "Your health comes before your job. At this rate that you're going, I'm going to have to put you on bed rest and let someone else sub in for you."

"NO! I'm fine, really!", Sakura protested. "I'll be ready for Friday's catwalk! Pinky-swear!" The Uchiha stared at her, confusion in his eyes.

"Why are you so dominant on work?"

"I don't want to disappoint you. I know how you feel about your job, so I want both of us to work together, that's all." Just to spend more time with him…

She was worried sick about him. Sasuke averted his eyes to the IV machine; if only she knew what he was doing before the bomb went off…

"Look at me, Sasuke…" He felt her hand on his face, his hand long forgotten. He closed his eyes, contemplating on what to do. He felt guilty; he was the bad person. It was hard realizing it from his perspective.

"I love you, Sasuke. Thank you for always being by my side." _Damn it…_

He was damn good at lying. He made her believe that he was faithful to her, only her.

He opened his eyes and stared at her, his eyes red meeting her dazzling emerald ones. His emotions inside were changing, slowly within him.

"I love you, Sakura." He was the master of Deceit.

But that didn't mean he couldn't change. Right?

* * *

"You got a hell of a lot of nerve leaving Japan, Hinata! Just what were you thinking about?", Ino silently yelled, careful not to interrupt the two 'chefs' in her kitchen. She was into the conversation with the bluette, but still felt nervous about the noise going on in the kitchen.

"The welfare of others?", Hinata innocently replied, obviously trying to get away unscathed. Konan had other ideas though.

"How about this: Sasuke Uchiha."

They both gave the girl a pointed look. The former-Hyuuga resorted soon to poking at her fingers. She didn't want to answer the question, but the way Konan was looking at her, it made her feel intimidated.

"I-I went to stop Sasuke from hurting Deidara's mother." Ino looked towards the ceiling in silent prayer and looked at Hinata. The girl could see how calm the lawyer looked right now. Maybe she wouldn't get yelled at after all.

"YOU THINK THAT THAT EXCUSE IS GONNA SAVE YOU! THINK AGAIN YOUNG LADY 'CAUSE THE PATH YOU'RE GOING YOU'RE GOING TO FIND YOURSELF GROUNDED FOR A YEAR!", Ino screeched.

Just then Kushina's head popped out of the kitchen  
door. "DON'T YOU YELL AT MY DAUGHTER, YOU HOBO!" Ino froze for a minute and watched as Kushina gave Hinata a smile. "Dinner will be ready in a second, sweety! I hope you have a nearly empty tummy cause mama just went all out today!" Sasori then popped out, a dull look on his face.

"She's serious. She literally cooked anything that was edible – look, cookies. Just delightful…", He showed the rack with obvious sarcasm.

"Those are scones, Sasori.", Konan muttered as she tampered with her Ipad. The man just stared at the tray in his hand.

"I don't like scones. What a waste…" He emerged back into the hot kitchen.

Ino looked over at Hinata and soon sighed. "Just one day Hinata, one day I want you to be normal, okay? No more extravagant trips or violent fights, kay? You had me – US worried even though Konan won't admit it."

"I didn't worry."

Ino waved off the agent. "In denial – be more careful next time. That head injury you have looks atrocious. How did you get it?"

"I fell down the stairs when the bomb happened. It doesn't hurt as much anymore."

"That is so badass." Konan praised from her position on the couch. Ino glared at the woman.

"That was not badass. Wearing white after labor day is badass, but being close to being killed by a bomb is scary-"

"-and total badass. Hinata, you're moving up in the ranks of life." Hinata smiled a bit.

"Don't encourage her!", Ino stopped the show of affection in its tracks.

A sound came from the kitchen. "We need more milk! Oh golly, little assistant, run to the store and get some, asap!" Sasori was shoved out the kitchen and nearly tripped over himself. "Don't be afraid to bring back some salt-ramen! Mama loves salt-ramen!"

Anyone could see that the redhead was pissed off to the point of no returning. He pierced his hazel eyes over at her. "Let's go, Hyuuga." Hinata sighed and stood.

"Let me go get my keys…" Pretty soon, the two were out the door. Both Ino and Konan gave each other a look before looking out of the tall window.

The two were laughing at something while they both got into the dark blue Ferrari; Sasori in the driver's seat and Hinata in the passenger.

Ino cut her eyes at the scene. "Those two look…chipper than usual don't they." Konan shrugged.

"I guess the experience brought them close."

"Too close…not that I'm complaining. Sasuke deserves all the shit that's tossed his way." The Ferrari soon pulled out of sight.

"And to think that Sasori actually disliked the girl at first."

Kushina listened to the two women as she stirred something in the pan, a blank look on her face.

* * *

Tenten laid on the grassy hilltop of the park, the wind blowing softly in her long, brown hair. She smiled at the blue, cloudless sky. It was a beautiful day; everything seemed calm and back to normal to her. The house arrest ankle-bracelet was removed yesterday, so that was something to cheer about. Her best friend was back from Paris, so that meant girl time as well.

She was happy, very, very happy.

She stiffened when she felt something crawling up her arm. Slowly, she looked down and saw the little critter: a big beetle bug. The brunette decided to stare at it for a while, not caring about where it went or how it got down.

Tenten thought silently to herself. _If only humans were bugs…_ In this case, Neji.

"Bug go squash now." The little bug met its death when the woman slapped her palm onto her shoulder.

This startled some of the little girls picking flowers in the area. "Ewww, she squashed a buggy with her hand!" They screeched and started to run, but slipped and tumbled down the hill. Tenten smirked at the scene.

"Little losers." This was why God gave her a son.

She looked down the hill and grinned. Lee was playing soccer with Tenji at the moment. She cooed at the affectionate scene.

Besides the Paris incident, Tenten _was_ having the time of her life. She had wished that this moment would last forever.

"MOMMY, LOOK AT ME! I'M THE MASTA!", Tenji bellowed from his position on Lee's stomach as he held the black and white ball.

"T-This isn't wrestling, Tenji-kun. This is soccer…", Lee's voice drawled off as his head hit the ground.

Tenten stood at the scene and cheered her son on, oblivious to the curious looks that were being thrown her way.

Most people would spot a celebrity when they saw one, but Tenten made them question whether or not it was actually her, the wife of the CEO of Hyuuga. She looked quite common compared to other celebs; the thing that stood out on her was her buns on her head. Without them, most couldn't tell who she was. But she was pretty sure many could tell who Tenji was.

Many people had stopped to look at the scene and some were even taking out their phones ready to take a picture.

The brunette caught onto the atmosphere and decided to haul it down the hilltop, her hair swinging in the summer breeze.

She swooped up the belligerent Tenji and slightly kicked Lee's head with her shoe.

"Let's take a walk on the koi bridge.", she said and practically ran to the area, almost leaving her companion behind.

Tenji squealed and squirmed along the way, watching Lee come up behind them from his position on his mom's back. "Hurry up, slow-poke, we ain't gonna wait for you!"

"We aren't going to wait for you". Tenten corrected him.

"What mommy said!" Lee smiled brightly at the two.

Once the three were away from paparazzi, they calmed down and looked at the area they had stumbled up to.

A red bridge came to their view, covered in the reanimates of Cherry Blossom trees. Everything around them was pink, like out of a fairytale book. Tenji blanched at the area, but still ran past the two in looked into the water filled with Sakura petals.

"So much beauty in the area, it makes me want to shed the tears of happiness!", Lee bellowed as he and Tenten began to walk slowly across the long bridge.

The silence between the two occurred; both watched the hyper five-year old marvel at the fish in the water when he stepped onto the bridge.

"So how's summer school going so far?", asked the mother. Lee sighed wearily and shook his head.

"Seems like graduation is not coming fast enough. Final tests are next week, so that week is going to be stressful, but I will not let that get me down! I will continue to look towards the mountains and the glorious sun for my victory!"

Tenten smiled. _Always the optimistic one… _She admired him very much…

But not more than her kick-boxing Idol, Inuyasha. _God, how I wish to meet him…_

"-ten?", She snapped out of her daze and back into her conversation, wiping a bit of drool out of her face.

"Um, yeah, so graduation is going to be this summer?"

Lee smiled a bit. "Yeah. After that, ten years of medical school."

"That sounds tiring, Lee. Are you reconsidering your future plans?"

"My dream has always been to be a physical therapist. The only way I am changing that idea is if something big comes up." The woman scanned the man from the corner of her eye; he was smiling forward, the sun glinting off his silky hair.

She felt her face get hot, and instantly she lowered her head to her shorts.

This was a perfect moment to tell him. She had kept it to herself for years now, but today was her day. She had to tell him.

They both soon stopped and leaned on the railing, looking over at the dancing petals in the water. The woman could see her reflection clearly despite the pink; she could also see Lee's smiling face as he looked out towards the trees.

With a light sigh, Tenten decided to speak.

"There is something that I need to tell you, Lee." She gulped when she saw him turn towards her in question.

Her ears started to get hot and she could hear her heart thumping loudly.

"What is it, Tenten?"

Her confidence started to waver a bit, but instantly it came back up. She looked towards him, into his dark eyes that linger under his thick brows, and said it.

"I-"

She didn't know why, but her eyes met went beyond the bridge towards Tenji, who was standing solemnly watching the two as if watching a tv show.

_Oh…_

She had forgotten that he was here.

"Tenten?", she looked up at the tall Lee and smiled a bit.

"I wanted to thank you for helping me out. I'm very grateful."

He stared at her a moment before giving her a thumbs up with smiling eyes. "No problem! It is a pleasure having such a hot-blooded woman staying under the same roof as I. And it only adds to the fun that she has such a youthful son! – wait- that rhymed!" Tenten smiled when he started to laugh at himself, but still a void started to build in her.

She didn't like it, not at all.

"Let's go back to the apartment.", Tenten suggested, and soon, the three started the trail back to the little flat.

When the three made it to the clearing of the park, a bright-blue Ferrari stood perched up on the side in the shadows.

"Kin-chan is here!", Tenji turned towards his mother, an unreadable expression on his face.

Tenten's whole aura changed, making Lee lean away from her a bit.

A smile crossed the brunette's face when she saw the car.

"Stay with Lee until mommy tells you to come over." Tenji nodded, but Tenten didn't see; she was strutting towards the car.

Lee saw the way Tenten's eyes darkened and decided to avert the little boy's attention from the car. "Let us indulge in a frosty treat, Tenji-kun!" He took the cheering boy away.

Kin looked up from her wheel when she saw a woman with long, brown hair coming towards her car. She squinted from behind her sunglasses before recognizing the woman.

Tenten's smile dropped when she made it to the car, her face turning to one of cockiness. Kin watched the woman sit on the edge of the Ferrari and give her a glare.

"Neji must be back.", is what she stated calmly. Kin shifted a bit and nodded.

"Yeah. I told him that Tenji was over a friend's house, so you don't have to worry about the cops or anything coming over for those 'reasons'-"

Tenten gave her a blank look. "Who said I was worried.", he voice was dead serious, and it kind of intimidated the pregnant mistress. Kin took off her sunglasses and hung it on the rear-view mirror.

"I want to apologize for all that I've done to you. If there is anything I can do, please tell me.", Tenten snorted bitterly at the woman, trying to see if she was really serious.

"Please tell me you don't think I'll forgive you, 'cause that will be rather pathetic on your end." Kin stared at the woman, who was smirking rather maliciously at her. "You had an affair with my husband and then you turn around and get pregnant by him, as far as I know, then practically send me to jail-'"

"Neji did that, not me!", Kin defended herself, but the brunette only shook her head slowly and looked towards the sky in prayer. "I know that what I've done is wrong, but if you were in my shoes you would understand why-" Tenten sighed and jumped up off the car.

"The only thing stopping me from kicking your ass is that or those babies growing in your womb." She wiped her butt off and looked back at Kin. "Look, I'm not here to hear your life story, sweetheart. I just want to know when I'll get to see my son again." Kin looked depressed, but nodded and pulled out a planner and gave it to the lady.

"It contains Neji's work day schedule and his off days. The days when he's at work, you can see Tenji until about seven o'clock- oh, and Friday he's going to be at the Fashion show being thrown by Uchiha, so you can see him the whole day then!" Tenten nodded and looked over the pages; they were a deep lavender color, which made her blanch at the amount of girliness this planner contained.

"Fair enough.", she looked back and called out to the two at the Ice-cream stand. "TENJI! LEE!" She waved the two over.

"Do you think that we could talk, one day, if that's okay with you?", Kin asked nervously, which made Tenten roll her eyes again at the woman's ignorance.

"What reason would a married woman have to talk to a mistress for? Save your pillow-talk for a bitch who gives a damn."

Tenji came just in time to stop brunette's fit with Lee's hand in his as he sloppily licked his ice cream cone.

He sucked the chocolate off his thumb and looked up towards his mother, a wide smile on his face. "I'm a big boy!" Tenten smiled down at him, a tench of pain hitting her.

"Yes you are." She opened the Ferrari's door and ushered Tenji in his seat; he gave Kin a wide smile.

"HI KIN-CHAN!" Said woman smiled down at the child as Tenten buckled his seatbelt.

"What's up, cutie! Did you have fun with mommy and her friend?!" He nodded wildly and turned back to his mother, whose face was becoming heartbroken, but he didn't notice.

"Don't cry mommy, I'll be back tomorrow! Pinky-promise!", he held out his little pinky and Tenten carefully wrapped hers around his.

"I love you."

"I love you too Mommy! And you too Lee!" Lee nodded at the boy, a sad look also in his eyes.

"Be careful, okay? And don't forget to brush your teeth and put your toys back into the toy box." He pouted a bit, but nodded nonetheless. She kissed his forehead and got up and stared at Kin, who was about to tear up from the scene.

Tenten furrowed her brows at the pregnant lady. "Buckle your seatbelt." Kin jumped a bit before hurriedly buckling her seatbelt over her huge bump. "Drive the speed limit."

Kin nodded. Tenji waved to the two, his ice-cream melting down on the dashboard.

"BYE BYE!", soon, the car slowly pulled off before going down the road.

Lee grasped the woman's shoulder. "Are feeling alright, Tenten?" Tenten smiled up at him a bit, even though she was burning inside.

"I'm fine. Let's go – the boxing match is about to start." He nodded down at her and began their journey home.

Tenten slipped her hand into Lee's palm soon.

_Unless something big came up, huh…_

* * *

Hinata nervously pulled the hoodie over her head while watching Sasori push the shopping cart nosily across the store floor. She noticed that he didn't even care how his identity was out in the open; he just dully looked at certain items before throwing most of them in the bag.

She was getting nervous; she could here other people around the corner. "We o-only needed milk!", she whispered harshly. He only glanced back at her once and went back to surfing the shelves.

"I need to tame the beast – do you want anything?", he asked as he tried to decide whether to get more chocolate or not. "I'm allergic…aw, what the hell. Only live once.", he swiped the whole shelf into the basket.

The bluette sighed tiredly at his antics. "Sasori, we need to-"

"Ah shit, really?!" He picked up a magazine left out on a shelf, a disgusted look on his face. "_Gaara makes Top Ten of Japan's Hottest Men of 2013 along with Sasori, Deidara, and arch nemesis Sasuke Uchiha _?"

The bluette yelped in excitement, but it lowered when she saw Sasori's sour face.

"C-Congratulations, Sasori! Aren't you happy?", she knew she would be happy to even make top five-hundred…

He threw the book down. "They caught me off guard! I look like a fucking frat boy!" He shoved the magazine in Hinata's hands, and the girl looked at it once more and her mouth went dry.

No one would have even noticed the tiny 'Hottest Men of 2013' in the corner with one glance.

Plastered on the cover of the gossip magazine was her, Hinata Hyuuga, in line at the breakfast place inside of Hotel Ritz Paris. On the bottom of the cover in big kanji was:

**'Mrs. Uchiha gorging after engagement of supermodel Sakura and Sasuke; Gains astonishing SIXTEEN pounds!'**

The bluette stared at the cover for a moment before looking down at her body.

Was the weight gain _that_ bad? She had to ask someone, anyone…

"SASORI!", she grasped his arm tightly.

He gave her an innocent expression. "Yes?"

She rolled the magazine up nervously in her hands and looked around frantically before whispering.

"Am I…fat?" She looked back down at the unrolled magazine; that day she was wearing the redhead's hoodie. It was big, but still…

Sasori analyzed her a bit, making the girl squirm at his long pause. "Well…"

She closed her eyes, careful not to let him see her eyes reddening. She was fat! FAT! She had been so small during school and even after she got married, but now she was getting big – no, she was big! She couldn't be a model if-

"Ever heard of 'puberty'? Some girl's hit that stage when they are nineteen too." She relaxed only slightly, and gave up the magazine when he took it from her. "See – it's the sweater that making people think you're some big tranny. A lot of models deal with this type of thing."

She nodded, but still felt self-conscious, and soon pulled the hoodie tighter to her.

She still wanted some cinnamon buns though…

"Instant coffee?", she saw him pick up the Hescafe product and look at it with caution. "People drink this stuff? It looks manufactured." Most of what he had in the cart was manufactured, but Hinata didn't want to ruin his _joyful_ mood.

Pretty soon, approximately thirty minutes later, she got tired. Sasori was still throwing stuff in the cart; it was like he was shopping for his condo or something.

Once they were off the candy and chip aisle, she soon got some hope of leaving, but he turned down another aisle.

"Frozen pizza! Oooh, I wonder what kind they have…"

Hinata was getting tired of his behavior at this point and sat inside the shopping cart, stopping him from getting anything else. "STOP!"

She had done it one time with Hanabi when she was little, but seeing how her legs over lapped the cart, she knew that that was a bad idea. The bluette struggled to sit up in the shopping cart, feeling some of the stuff the redhead had stick her back a little.

"Hn. I'd like to see how you get yourself out of that pickle.", Sasori muttered and, much to the girl's dismay, pushed the basket forward to the next aisle, ignoring the looks that passerbyers gave him and the girl in the cart.

"Now seems like a good time to give you a few tips on impressing the elders tomorrow because, how it looks right now, you're going to bomb on it." The girl stiffened and turned her head up slightly to see if the man was serious. By his emotionless face, he was.

"I-I forgot it was tomorrow." Now she was squirming in her pants. "W-What do I need to know?"

"The Elders are bitches.", he said casually as he stopped and looked over a shelf.

_Aren't they all…_ The Hyuuga Elders as well as the Uchiha Elders were nothing to joke about; they were the real deal. She remembered hearing them when she was little; they always talked down on the lower branch and sometimes even the higher branch. They were vile and mean, but that was what made a business.

She started to pull her indigo locks. Just how would she impress them? She was nothing special, and from her own experience with 'Elders', they wanted _special_. That was the reason Uchiha had accepted Sakura Haruno as their spokesperson for their women clothing line; she was freaking special.

"The Elders don't have the final decision, though. Gaara makes the ultimatums, so if you by some unknown force in the universe manage to actually fuck up, he can save you.", she hated how his voice held sarcasm, and felt the certain urge to stick him in the eye.

He was definitely bringing out the worst in her.

He stopped and went in front of the cart to stare at the items that were in her lap. "Tip number one: dress appropriately. Everyone should know that, if they don't, then they probably aren't ready to leave their mother's womb just yet. Those old coons look for a sense of fashion, which is required for the job.", he looked at her attire that she was wearing now: his hoodie and his sweatpants. He scrunched up his nose. "Work on that." She self-consciously pulled the hoodie closer to herself, a light blush on her face.

"Tip two: make sure you look them in the eye. Most find that annoying and somewhat just sad." Hinata gulped a bit; she never really looked anyone in the eye. "Since you're shy, they will probably let it slid. Probably not." Hinata nodded and once again blushed when she saw him smirk at her.

She liked how his hazel eyes contrasted with his red hair; he reminded her of a doll somehow. And people told HER she looked like a doll…

Sasori pulled the cart towards the dairy section and grabbed the milk. "Tip three: be ready for – Uchiha." The former Hyuuga saw irritation come in the man's eyes.

She sat up a bit in the cart. "What is it, S-Sasori?" He gave her the milk and proceeded to walk around the cart. She didn't hear the last word he had said, and she was getting worried at how he was trying to push the cart forward. "W-Wait!" He stopped and ran his fingers through his hair.

Hinata stumbled to get out the cart, but did nonetheless. She brushed her backside off a bit and looked at the redhead; his face was empty, but it had a sort of remorse in his eyes.

"What is wrong? Why are you- " Then the answer to her own question came.

Her breath got caught in her throat when she saw him…

Down the aisle, Sasuke and Sakura were there, the pinkette smiling up at him while he was smirking down at her.

The bluette didn't comprehend anything at the moment; she stared at the two.

The pinkette's flawless sun-kissed skin showed in the bright green romper she was wearing; her legs long and proud. Strands of her long, rosy hair fell over her shoulders, complimenting her shining emerald eyes.

Sasuke's dark attire contrasted with the pinkette's; tall, dark and handsome was what he was. His slightly grown hair matched his endless black eyes. His hands were in his pocket's as his _mistress_ clung to him.

They looked content.

Hinata was feeling the opposite at this point.

"Let's –"

"No.", Hinata cut off her companion, fire in her voice. "This is what I need to see."

She was getting tired of this. Seriously.

He had literally jumped her bones in Paris, and even gotten angry when he saw the hickey Sasori had gave her on her neck. Then she hears the phone call then _this_? Just what was he thinking?

He was going to go back to Sakura; the pinkette probably believed he was faithful to her.

This was insane…

And she was getting insane…

She marched forward towards the two, making Sasori grab at her shoulder before she could.

"Hinata, are you –" She snatched her shoulder away from his grip and kept forward, not caring about him right now.

That Uchiha had done so much damage to her, so much that she was tired of recalling it. She had never thought it would come to his point, but it had.

She had tried to keep her distance from the two, tried to be the 'bigger person', but being the mature person was _hard_. Anyone who had gone through what she was going through knew it was difficult not to explode.

However, there was only so much a person could take before they snapped.

The girl marched towards the two, a deadly aura radiating off of her with each step. Sasori cursed to himself and hurriedly turned his full cart around and followed after the raging girl.

He was pretty sure that she was about to beat the crap out of them, but was surprised to see how she only stopped in front of the two, who were surprised to see her.

"What a surprise to see you here, Sasuke.", Hinata spoke with a cheerful-like tone, which scared the redhead into backing his cart back a bit.

Sasuke tensed a bit, but kept his composure; Sakura was the one who expressed her feelings.

"What the hell do you want, Hyuuga?" Again, Sasori was a bit scared to see how Hinata didn't even acknowledge the pinkette, she just stared up at Sasuke.

"I just wanted to thank you for opening my eyes the other night. I really enjoyed _talking_ with you."

Sakura jumped in once again. "Please, as if Sasuke would talk to you when he had me to talk to. Stop your lying." It was obvious what Hinata was doing at this point…

She was trying to start chaos.

Sasuke didn't know what to say; he was still in shock at what the bluette was saying.

Hinata snapped her lavender eyes to the pinkette. "I'm trying to talk to my _husband_, so if you would excuse me, _mistress,_ " Sasori had a bad feeling about this; the tension was getting so high that no one even noticed that he was here also.

Sakura snarled at the bluette. "That's fiancée to you, bitch!" Hinata waved her hand in front of her slightly when she saw the pinkette come towards her although she almost jumped a little at the profanity.

"Sakura", Sasuke silently hissed, not wanting to start a confrontation

She gave her a small smile that was laced with mockery. "That's what all the mistresses say. Anyway, it was a shame that you had to leave so early. We could have - "

"Can't you see that he doesn't want you? He's with me, Hyuuga. Me. His fiancé. Pretty soon you'll be old news – "

Hinata shushed her, her heart beating up a bit at what she was doing to the pinkette. It felt like the real her was inside of her head. Her skin started to itch a bit when she looked into those emerald eyes.

"Look, I know this isn't a first for you, so it should be easy for you to follow directions – Speak when you are spoken too." This made Sakura's frown deepen. "What you are saying I've already heard before; 'He's in love with me' 'We are going to start a family together' and the overplayed, 'He said he loves' crap. You weren't the only woman he was with."

Sakura snapped her green orbs to the Uchiha she was holding onto, but his eyes were burning at the Hyuuga.

Hinata laughed a bit at the woman's little knowledge of the situation.

"Oh, so I guess that I'm not the only one who has been lied to, neh? See, first it was Hitomi, then Guren, soon after it was that intern from America, and then it was both Yale and Toshibana – do you want me to continue?", Hinata asked innocently.

Sakura looked back and forward between Sasuke and Hinata before she started back at the bluette. "I-It doesn't matter, that's the past! You just hate that Sasuke left you for me! That's the difference between me and those other women; I know how to get what I want, when I want it!"

Sasori could see people starting to come down the aisle, and he sighed and pulled up his hood. Not that it would have helped though.

Hinata paused at what the woman said, and just put her hands to her hips and listened to the woman rant.

"He doesn't love you! He never did! Me and Sasuke have been together since the beginning of your marriage!" Ouch.

_So that picture that I had saw with Sakura in the background…_

"He married you out of gain, just for his family! Other than that we would have been married! He wouldn't have even looked at your pathetic ass if it wasn't for Uchiha and Hyuuga!" Her words hurt tremendously; it hurt even worse coming from such a beautiful woman. "Sorry, Hinata, but he's _mine_. Get over it."

It made the bluette feel insecure more, but she didn't back down.

Hinata couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Please, if your all sprung up on him, you can have him."

"I already had him from the beginning!", Sakura yelled, making Sasuke pull her back from attacking the calm bluette. The former-Hyuuga could only just stare blankly at the two.

" If that's what you want to believe, Sakura. I don't have time for this." The bluette pulled off the ring that had been on her finger all this time, for two years. She stared at it.

It was a ring that she had come to love, but now, it was the end of the road. She wasn't going to lose her dignity over the two.

She was so sick of feeling this way that she just wanted it to end. It was hurting her so much to do this, but at this point in time Sasuke was her worst enemy.

"Here.", she tossed the ring towards him, hearing it fall on the floor but not looking at it. "I'm done. I've said it so many times before, but now I'm serious." She looked into his dark orbs, not seeing any emotion now.

"You confuse me greatly, you know. I just…you tried to have sex with me in Paris and just this morning you wanted me to come back with you to Japan… but now…" She glanced at the red-faced Haruno before looking back up at the Uchiha. "Every time I think you've changed just a bit, you prove me wrong. I tried to believe in you Sasuke, but right now I don't think that…I don't know." She sighed and turned around, walking back to Sasori, who was glaring at the Uchiha.

She just didn't know anymore. How can someone so cruel look like an Angel?

"Go to the check out, Sasori.", Hinata muttered, face blank as she proceeded to exit out the door.

But that was until she heard the pinkette once again.

"Yeah, walk away like your dumb-ass mother did!" Sasori stopped his cart and looked back at Hinata, who had suddenly stopped and turned back towards the couple.

She couldn't believe her ears. "W-What did you just say?", is what she asked as she started to charge towards the pinkette. Sakura shrugged Sasuke off and smirked at the girl.

"You heard me, bitch. What are you gonna do little-" A series of shouts rang out when Hinata managed to punch the woman in the mouth and soon the pinkette grabbed the Hyuuga's long, indigo hair.

Sasori grabbed at Hinata's waist, while Sasuke tried to pull back Sakura, but to no avail. At this point, Hinata was getting rather good hits at the woman's face, but she could feel her head injury start to bleed again. Several grocery-store workers came then, but it still didn't help either man's case.

"Hinata, stop!", Sasori had to yell to get the girl's grip off of the pinkette's hair, but still it didn't work. A whole ruckus was starting to happen as eight workers pried the two off of each other; Hinata was picked up and thrown over Sasori's shoulder, her hair wild and about a bit of blood coming down her forehead.

Sakura bruises were starting to show, but she still struggled against the Uchiha.

"You stupid bitch! I'll fucking kill you!", Sakura screamed over the noise of the workers.

"Don't you dare talk about my mother!", Hinata's scream was weakened as her tears started to come down.

"Fuck you and your mother!", Sasuke slammed Sakura against the shelves, making items fall down onto the floor noisily. Her back stung, but Sakura was a strong girl.

The bluette struggled against Sasori's tight grip, her intention to wail on the pinkette again. "Let me go! Let me go!"

"No – Hinata, calm down!" The redhead was ushered out the store by the two workers, who were more than happy to help a celebrity.

Once they were outside, he sat the girl down on the concrete, but she still tried to get in the store. He sighed in aggravation and pulled her back forcefully.

"Hinata, get in the car!", he pushed her towards the Ferrari and opened the door before pushing her again. One of the workers came and blocked the bluette's way for Sasori, who gave her a glance before running back into the store.

The worker bent down and helped the girl put back on her shoe that had come off. "Are you alright, Mrs. Uchiha ?" She gave the man a deadly glare when she heard her name.

"It's Hinata." He nodded and began to tie her shoe for her. Her head was pounding and her heart was racing from all of the adrenaline she was getting.

She felt alive and kicking, like a child on a sugar high. She still wanted to get to the beautiful woman, even though a voice in the back of her head said 'no'. How could Sakura bring that up? How did she even know about what happened to her mother?

_Mother…_ Her mother would have told her to walk away, but Hinata let her feelings get the best of her.

The girl tore the bandage off her head and lifted her hands to her head, letting it fall into her lap. She could feel her tears soaking her sweatpants as she cried into her lap.

Her emotions were in a whirlwind, and she tried to stop them but it was so hard.

**Life** was so hard.

"I'm so sorry, ma'am. Are you sure you're okay?" She nodded into her lap, and felt a hand make circles on her back. She looked up slowly and looked at the worker's smiling face; it was tannish and two bright red tattoos shown vivid on his face. She looked down a bit and saw that his name-tag read, Kiba.

"T-Thank you..Kiba-san." He smiled at her.

"No problem. At the end of the day, we're all humans."

He was right.

At the end of the day, we were human.

* * *

"This is getting creepy," Ino muttered to the gothic woman, who nodded and stared blankly down at the dining room table.

Kushina skipped out the kitchen and set down bowl of Udon noodles before trotting back to the kitchen.

"I hope some fish comes out." Konan voiced her opinion, making Ino hit her head on the table.

"You're such a fatty, Konan." Apparently she didn't hear a word the blonde said. Kushina bounded into the room again and some Tempura and gave the blonde a scowl.

Ino yelped when she felt a sting come from her hand; she looked up and was met with the menacing eyes of the redhead.

"It is disgraceful for a young lady to lay her head on a table. Learn table etiquette." Ino scowled at the woman, but nodded anyway, making Kushina grin and turn back to the kitchen.

Konan smirked at the Barbie. "Mama hits hard, doesn't she?"

Ino glared at the woman. "I thought having a famous model in my house would be fun, but it's turning out to be a headache!" ,she made sure to whisper.

"Stop exaggerating. She isn't that bad." The agent muttered while she broke off a piece of the fried Tempura.

Ino nodded and sighed before putting her elbows on the table. "I hope Hinata is ready for what is to come."

"If the girl can face a drug dealer and bust out a victim, she is more than able to face the Elders."

"But they're like raging lions.", Ino commented, pointing out a crucial face. Konan thought for a moment before nodding.

"The way they tore up that other model Gaara had suggested as the spokes model of his new project - whew - , was not a pretty sight." She popped another piece of Tempura off the table. The Barbie squirmed.

"I have to leave at four in the morning, so I won't be able to see her off. God, why is my life hard!" She had two clients pending right now. Konan dropped her food and brushed off her hands.

"If you wanted me to stay over, all you had to do was ask, Ino." The woman's eyes brightened.

"Will you?"

"Of course. Hinata is my new client now; I have to make sure she gets to those meetings."

Ino gave the woman a smile. "How is being a personal assistant different from being an agent?"

Konan smirked. "You get to torture your client more as an agent."

"Your cup of tea, ah?"

"I'm a sadist, what can I say?" The two grinned quietly and pretty soon Kushina came back out with homemade scones.

"I hope you like them! I – " she whacked Ino's shoulders "tried my best! Now where is my daughter and little helper! They've been gone for such a –"

"HINATA, TALK TO ME!"

A door opened quite loudly in the front room and soon Hinata was seen running towards the basement, Sasori hot on her tail.

Both Konan and Ino stood in urgency, but Kushina stopped them from going.

"But-"

"I'll go talk to her.", Kushina passed the two and went in the bluette's direction.

* * *

Hinata closed the basement door behind her and quickly locked it.

"Hinata, let's talk!", Sasori yelled as he beat on the door.

"Go away!", she slid down the door and held her head in her hands. She didn't want to speak with anyone; she was still trying to comprehend what had happened just minutes ago.

The knocking soon stopped, and the bluette raised her head and stared out at the basement room.

She looked around the room; she was surprised to see that it wasn't the dusty room she had tried to clean. A large bed stood in front of the high, little windows, and pink-laced curtains were hung up along with a pink comforter on the bed.

No doubt that Ino had done this, just for her…

But she couldn't stand the pink right now; it reminded her of that woman, that beautiful woman…

A light tap sounded on the door along with a soothing voice. "Hinata, open the door." She froze when she heard Kushina's voice, and debated whether or not to open it.

"Now, Hinata." She stood slowly and unlocked the large latch on the door, letting the petite redhead step in.

The bluette moved and settled on the bed, facing away from Kushina. Her mind was wavering a bit, but she looked down at her phone on the bed for a minute.

She felt the bed sink a little, but still stared at her phone.

A long silence occurred then, which allowed Hinata to think.

She hadn't known that this would happen; that she would have to fight. She felt disappointed in herself, she could have handled the situation differently.

She could have walked away, but then her mother was thrown up…

The bluette was going to walk way, she had Sasori to prove it, but Sakura obviously knew something that she wasn't supposed to know. It made Hinata feel violated, more violated then how she felt in Paris even.

Her mother was a private, precious memory. For that to be tampered with, it could drive anyone into insanity.

She loved her mother, loved her to _death_; she was still trying to cope with her death even today. Sakura twisted it hard, very hard. Hinata felt like bashing her head in to unconscious.

She didn't hate the pinkette, but right now she felt like she did.

She could take all of the crap Sasuke put her through, even the crap that the Hyuuga Clan had put her through, but when it came to her mother, she would snap.

And that's what she had done. And she was wondering whether what she had done was the right thing to do. It was so _unlike_ her…

"Want to tell me what happened?", Kushina questioned silently. Hinata looked back a little at her, but didn't answer.

She didn't want to tell anyone; it had hurt so much. She wouldn't under-

"Is this about this Sasuke guy?", Hinata stilled at his name. "Is he your boyfriend or something?"

_More like husband… _The bluette nodded anyway. Kushina sighed and made her way across the bed until she sat right beside the girl.

"I bet you're saying that I don't understand, neh? That's the exact same thing I would tell my own mother." She wrapped an arm around Hinata. "You can tell me, sweetheart. I'll understand." A few tears came to the girl's eyes as she heard the soothing tone.

Her heart was hurting a bit; it felt like this _was_ her mother. It was as if her own mother was in Kushina's body.

Hinata leaned in closer to Kushina, laying on the woman's shoulder.

After trying to recollect her thoughts, Hinata decided to tell the red-haired woman.

"H-He cheated on me with another girl." Kushina nodded a bit and started to smooth down the girl's matted hair, a sign that told the girl to continue.

"S-Sasori and I met them in the store t-today, and I went up and confronted them.."

A silence passed as Hinata tried to figure out what else to say; she couldn't tell the woman that the pinkette had said something bad about her mother.

"No matter how bad it is, it's okay to tell me…", Kushina muttered. Hinata's heart sped up; could the woman read minds? The bluette nodded and spoke again.

"His new girlfriend insulted mother."

Kushina tutted. "Is that all? Oh, sweetheart, don't listen to what those bully say about mama; she doesn't care. They're just jealous of you, is all." She highly doubted that Sakura, an international supermodel, would be jealous of _her_.

"I fought her.", Hinata decided to confess the whole truth. The soothing smoothing stilled for a minute before it continued.

"You know not to fight-"

"I-I know, but I couldn't take what she had said! I-It was unnecessary and it hurt my feelings!" Kushina patted the girl's back softly.

"You don't have to fight for mama.", her voice cracked a bit, which made Hinata's eyes start to tear up again.

Those words were the exact same words her mother had said to her.

"No matter what they say about mama, just know that it doesn't change who I am. I will love you regardless and keep my head held up high, which is what you should do.." She lifted the girl's chin with her two fingers and smiled at her.

"I'm sorry, Hinata. I've made it so hard for you. I promise that things will get better, so don't stop believing okay, sweetheart?"

Her whole body was shaking as Kushina's voice became soft and light like her own. It sounded so much like her mother now that it was scary.

Hinata couldn't help how her body moved forward and grasped onto the woman like a sad child. She let her tears stain the redhead's apron because she knew that she was hers.

"Mother…", Hinata muttered to herself as she slowly closed her eyes and fell asleep on the woman.

In her dreams, she and Hanabi held their mother's hands as they both flew beyond Japan and among the stars, laughing and grinning along the way…

* * *

**Sasuke and Hinata will get along eventually...even Sakura...**

**Was this a tear-jerker? Or am I just sensitive. I could never ever imagine losing my mother...it would hurt so much..**

**Just to let everyone know, I'm trying to have this fic progress in Character development; can't have Hinata whizzing around and about for no reason at all (but isn't that what she does in this chapter?) Hmmm... _Am I doing a good job?_**

**This story is not just a fic, but a life lesson. This is why it will be LONG...**

**I try to imagine myself in a situation and progress on that; there was a abusive marriage going on in my own family, and because I was so upset about it this fic came. I did this to help keep me calm so that I wouldn't fizz out. I just wanted to understand how someone would feel about a failing marriage, so.. this fic came. This is a story that is deeply in my heart; I write it from my heart actually. Each chapter is planned: some of them have entertainment while others are more serious. I'm expressing my emotions through this fic to you all, so I just pray that you all keep this story with you after it is done and really read into it...**

**I want to thank you all once again for supporting me and this story. Thanks. :)**


	23. Chapter 22: Ying and Yang

**Author's Note:**

I'm back, again...

Do you all know how many glares and punches I had to endure to write this chapter? My brother was livid that I had the laptop all day; it was about 8:10a.m. when I started typing, now it's 12:17 a.m. I don't feel like counting how many hours that is, but I know it is a lot. ^_^ Now I can't get on the computer for two day, TWO DAYS, all because I spent all today on the computer! My baby is gonna be gone, taken by my little brother! It's my fault though; I was busy watching Naruto Spin-Off: Rock Lee and his Ninja pals. That show is addicting and too cute, too cute for tv! If you guys ever message me and I don't reply, just know that I was killed by that show. Seriously..

Anyway, **KDAWG15, **thank you so flipping much for your fanart! It's beautiful! I love it so much! Everyone, go check it out on my profile! **Athena SFM, **you're awesome, and so is your new fiction! Thank you so much for the gift; I hope that you update soon! It's called _**'Konoha Daily'** _and it is so funny! Check that out as well!

You guys are awesome, and very, very creative. **'I-read'**... you know you're awesome! **XD **

**Enjoy**

* * *

_**Chapter 22: Ying and Yang**_

_**"There's eternal opposition between yin and yang.  
No third party at all, but treason occurs sometimes." **__**  
**__― Toba Beta, __My Ancestor Was an Ancient Astronaut_

Sasuke sat quietly in the dark limo, his view set on the passing buildings flying by. One would think that by his calm look and casual posture that he was enjoying the ride back to his home, but it was quite the opposite if someone were to tear him inside-out.

On the inside, he was trying to stop the war going on in his mind. The sky outside was darkening, and so was his attitude.

He had said earlier that he wanted to change, to stop being the bad guy, but right now he had no choice but to be _that_ guy. He was that person right now; the guy who didn't give a damn about a person's feelings. Being the bad guy was natural to him, and it was hard to come back from that. He could change later…like maybe tomorrow…or the day after.

He was just so pissed right now.

"Sasuke, are - are you mad at me?", he heard her voice from the other side of the limo; the vibe he was putting off scared her a bit. She would usually snuggle beside him, but he looked rather solemn now.

He didn't answer her, which answered her question immediately.

She straightened up in her and started to defend herself. "It wasn't my fault! She was the one who hit me first-"

"But you started the argument.", she gasped when he defended the Hyuuga.

The pinkette thought for a moment. "I know, but she was asking for it! She was acting like she was yours or something-"

"She's my wife.", he crushed her with that. Sakura just stared at him, heartbroken.

"And I'm your fiancé, Sasuke. Why are you acting like this? You said that you loved me, not her-"

"I lied.", he solemnly stated as he turned to face her, eyes swirling with crimson; a remark like that could surely hurt a woman. Besides that fact that he was serious, she didn't seem to take it to heart.

She snarled at him. "You're acting like such a dick! Do you not see the bruise under my eye or the cut on my lip! That bitch hit me!" She could see he was getting annoyed with her, but that didn't stop her from yelling. "She started this!"

Sasuke didn't lose his cold exterior; his face was still emotionless.

"You don't bring up personal matters in an argument, Sakura. You should have seen that coming." He didn't know what had happened to the bluette's mother, but by how she attacked Sakura, he could only guess that it had a huge effect on her.

"Oh, so you're happy that your fiancé was hit in the face?! Is that what you're saying!"

He as getting annoyed, quickly. Sure he had loved women with temper, but this was just getting ridiculous.

Sasuke just stared blankly at her, not letting her get the upper-hand. "You're a mistress Sakura, I don't think I should be happy that you tried to hit my wife either." He would have never thought Hinata would do something like that; it amused him greatly.

"Stop calling me your mistress! I'm not a fucking mistress! I was fucking with you before that marriage even existed!"

The limo driver was getting nervous; the glass divider separating him and the two in the back was down, so he could hear all of the dirty words being thrown.

Sasuke noticed this predicament and quickly pressed the button, making the divider go up, blocking any sound coming from the two from the chauffer.

"And why the hell were you about to go after her?! Huh?!", she yelled at him, a few tears coming down her face. "You were about to go after her! Why?! You were supposed to stay by my side!"

He sighed and looked down to the ring in his hand that he was holding tightly. Yes, he was about to go after her, but…

* * *

_"Fuck you and your mother!", Sasuke slammed Sakura against the shelves, making items fall down onto the floor noisily. _

_"Shut the fuck up, Sakura!", he hissed into her face, making shivers go down her spine. _

_"Let me go, let me go!", he snapped his head in the soft voice's direction and saw that she was being carried away by the redhead and a couple of other workers._

_Hinata…she had snapped. Literally._

_When he heard some mild sobbing, he looked back down at the pinkette. He couldn't help but feel a little remorse, but who would feel anything towards a person who got what was coming to them? He didn't know anything about the girl's mother; heck, he didn't even know she had a mother._

_He had always seen her with her father, so he had only assumed that she didn't know much about her mother. But today he was wrong. And a bit curious as well._

_"That bitch hit me.. she fucking HIT me! Who the fuck does she think she is?!", Sakura cried and held her face in her hands. Sasuke let go of her and looked down at the ring on the marble floor._

_He slowly picked it put and held it between his long fingers._

_When she threw her ring, he knew she was done. She had been upset at him plenty of times before, but she never had thrown her ring. This feeling inside of him was indescribable; he felt bad that she was upset._

_But he felt even worse that she wasn't upset about him being with Sakura, but the pinkette's words towards her mother._

_Sasuke gripped the ring in his hand and proceeded to go out the door. He wanted to see her, to speak with her._

_He felt that he needed to apologize for Sakura. _

_His apology could wait at a later time. _

_Sakura watched with teary eyes as Sasuke proceeded to go towards the exit while some of the workers asked if she was okay._

_He didn't care about the pinkette right now; at the end of the day, even though they were engaged, he still had a wife. He may have screwed up his marriage, but he would be damned if he let anyone talk down on her._

_Just when he was about to step out the door, the red-haired man that he despised stood in his way, a smirk plastered on his face._

_Sasuke snarled at the man and proceeded to go around him, but the redhead blocked his path._

_"I don't think that is a good idea, Uchiha." He was about to shove the man out of the way, but he stopped when he saw how his smirk dropped. "Seriously."_

_Just who the fuck did he think he was?_

_"She doesn't want to see you, trust me, I would know.", Sasuke snapped his crimson eyes to the man, but Sasori didn't waver. "I don't have much time, but I feel so sorry for your ass that I felt the need to give you some advice.", it was obvious sarcasm._

_"I don't need any fucking advice from you, Sasori.", his voice held malice, but still the man didn't flinch._

_Sasori waved him off and leaned against one of the large glass windows facing towards the parking lot. "No, you don't, what you need is a bitch-slap, 'cause that's what your acting like. " Why was he even here listening to this guy? He couldn't stand the guy, even when he used to visit Gaara in High School._

_Sasori ran his fingers through his flamey locks and glanced outside at the Ferrari before looking back at the Uchiha with dull eyes._

_"You know what, I won't give you any advice, but I'll leave you with a heads -up." Sasuke glared hard at the man in front of him when he said that. The mischievous man smirked once again before speaking. "When the divorce is final on Monday, it will be a no-holds barrier." _

_Sasuke furrowed his brow, which made Sasori chuckle a bit. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"_

_"Do you really think that people aren't looking at meek little Hinata? Are you that lost in your moody as world that you don't see reality?" Some of the workers came from around the corner, watching the scene; it was rare for two big-time celebs to be in a grocery store._

_Sasuke smirked and folded his arms, rather amused by the conversation. "You think that that makes me upset?"_

_"Why wouldn't it?", Sasori asked as he looked at his fingernails. _

_"I don't give a fuck about who wants her." Sasori smirked at the man._

_"Really?"_

_"If I did, I would have beat your ass in Paris a long time ago." That didn't mean that he __**didn't**__ want to do it now, though. He still wanted to, really __**really**__ badly. Trying to keep his cool was hard._

_The redhead sighed. "I'm pretty sure that even if you felt the need to, you still wouldn't, mainly because you aren't that fucking stupid to want to go up against me in a fight." He got off the wall and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Like I said, this is a heads-up. She's with Akatsuki now, a group of men. If you love her, which I think that you may, you might want to think about your relationship standards with pinky over there." He gestured towards the woman, who was still staring at him with wide, teary eyes._

_"I don't love her." _

_"So why are you trying to speak with her?" He didn't answer the redhead; he just glared. He did love the girl, but he didn't want the redhead to know._

_Sasori shrugged._

_"Sure, a man that damages $800,000 worth of stuff in the Imperial Suite over a picture of his wife and a very, _very_ handsome man __**isn't**__ love-bound." Sasuke stiffened and Sasori smirked even more at this. " Just know that no one is going to care about your feelings for her once the divorce is final, not even your fucking little posse."_

_Sasuke frowned. "I'm not going to fall for this psychological shit, so you can stop there. They wouldn't betray me."_

_"Aww, little Sasuke actually trusts someone." Sasori came closer to him and whispered in his ear. "Who do you think told me about your ridiculous behavior?" _

_Sasuke glared at the man again while Sasori smirked bit before walking out the door. Sasuke watched him, but his eyes shifted to the Ferrari where a young man was helping the girl put her shoe back on._

_He glared hard and tried to forget the man's words as he turned and walked slowly back to Sakura, the ring still situated in his hands._

* * *

"Sasuke!" He was pissed right now, but that didn't stop her from yelling.

He was getting fed up with her. "I did, Sakura."

"What does she have that I don't, Sasuke?! I've given you everything I've had! Two years, and you just forget about it! Why did you try to go to her?! Why Sasuke - ?!"

"Shut up. You're getting annoying.", he snapped at her, his voice thick as he gripped his forehead. She gasped when he told her that, but kept her mouth shut.

The Uchiha looked out the window; his mansion was only a couple of miles away, which meant that he had about seven minutes props. _Just enough time…_

He turned back towards her. "I didn't think I would have to do this, Sakura, but you leave me no choice." She was confused, but held it in when she saw him about to go on. "I don't know what has been causing this outrageous behavior of yours, either it be insecurity or just jealously, but it has been changing my perception of you this past month. Today I was able to actually see the change in you, and I am very, very disappointed.

"Firstly, let's talk about your sudden change in attitude. The woman that I fell in love with was kind, optimistic, and sometimes a little demanding. Now, as I recall from today and many weeks okay, you've been becoming a bitch –"

Sakura flinched at his words.

"- and rather clingy, which is a major turn-off for me. Sure, I like women who have their own opinions and a fiery attitude, but when that translates to a dependent, stuck up kind of vibe, that pretty much tells me it's time to go."

She shuddered. "W-What are you trying to say, S-"

He gave her an annoyed look, which made her quiet again.

"Furthermore, giving you a ring was a huge mistake on my end, which I'll take full responsibility for. I shouldn't have given you such a privilege. It has been giving you a big head, which is one of the reasons for your attitude. Somehow, you think that by me giving you that ring that you have taken the pedestal that Hinata, my wife, sits on."

He saw her give him a look of disbelief, but he figured that she would do so as much. Sasuke leaned forward until he was face to face with her, his nose almost touching her own as he gave her a smirk.

"That's where you fucked up today, Sakura. I could have dealt with all of the other shit that has changed about you, but the fact that you actually tried to upset and fight my wife is inexcusable. The Sakura I know would have kept her mouth shut and would have given full respect to the woman who has the title as my wife. Having an engagement ring doesn't change the fact that you are a mistress. You should have stayed in your place."

A beeping sound rung off in the back of the limo before a voice came through.

_"We are here, sir."_

The limo stopped in front of the beautiful place, and Sasuke only gave Sakura a shake of his head.

"I see you in a different light, Sakura. Our relationship shouldn't have even lasted past a year."

Her heart was slowly breaking, and she felt her world spinning. "S-Sasuke, please d-"

He shushed her, that smirk still on his face. "We're wasting – no – _I'm_ wasting time. I don't love you anymore. It's done; we're done."

The door opened and Sasuke stepped out, but Sakura caught onto his shirt

"Y-You're breaking up with me, S-Sasuke?" He sighed and looked away from her teary face before snatching his shirt away from her and walking forward, already being bombarded by his entourage of thirty-eight people.

A young man came up to him with a clipboard in hand and a pen, a little microphone ear-piece on his face. "Status of relationship to supermodel Sakura Haruno?" They both started to walk up the steps to the entrance, his group still behind him

Sasuke sighed and let one of the entourage members comb out his hair as he walked. "Engagement has been called off as well as relationship."

The young man nodded and talked through his earpiece. "Sasuke-sama has called off engagement to Sakura Haruno at approximately 8:12 pm. Address to local magazine editors as well as local news station – oh, and make sure to tell the chauffer to drop her off back home or to a hotel. Watch out for signs of suicide…"

* * *

Hinata shifted under the thick bed covers when she saw something bright hit her eyelids and almost fluttered them open her eyes, but felt that the comfort of the bed was better than the atrocious sunlight coming from the small windows.

Her head was pounding, still not healed from yesterday's incident. The former-Hyuuga groaned and put her face to one of the fluffy pillows on her new bed. Of course…

So she really did punch Sakura in the mouth yesterday…She was hoping it had been a dream, really…

She squeaked when the basement door was thrown open and the clicking of heels sounded down the steps.

"Time to start your day, Ms. Badass." Hinata gurgled when she heard Konan's emotion-void voice radiate throughout the room. Just when she was about to pull the covers tighter, they were ripped off, inviting the bluette to the depths of reality.

Konan smirked down at the girl with her hands on her hips, obvious on her flawless features as she watched the bluette squirm to and claw her away. "Hard to believe that you actually fought someone. I would've pegged you as harmless as a fly you know..." Hinata sighed and sat up in the bed, pulling her knees to herself, letting her wild hair pool out over her shoulders. It was weird how long it had gotten; she didn't even notice it like she usually did.

So everyone must've known about the fight. The former-Hyuuga mentally groaned; right now about half the world knew about the fight. Now she _really_ wanted to curl up and sleep in today. Too bad everyone else had other plans…

"W-Where is Ino-san?", Ino would be the first person down in the basement, and the bluette was slightly confused as to why Konan was here in her place.

The gothic woman opened the tall curtains and let in the sunlight, making the room instantly brighten to a vivid pink color. "Ino had to leave early to get to a court hearing in Osaka – I hate pink. Color's too girly." Konan gagged and went to the other curtain.

Hinata furrowed her brows. "Oh…"

The female Akatsuki-member gave her a smirk. "You don't sound happy to see me. Don't worry, I'm not that bad with handling your schedule. I _was_ your personal assistant before the job was given to me."

"W-Who gave it to you?", the bluette asked as she stared at the woman. Konan rolled her eyes.

"Pein. He's our boss, so he asked me personally to become your agent. I think he did that to stop me from quitting though - anyway, get in the shower, the meeting starts in approximately – " she checked her black watch – "about an hour and thirty minutes." The bluette sighed a bit, but got up anyway and stretched. She noticed how easy it was for stretch, and soon saw that Sasori's hoodie and pants were gone off her body, replaced with a white, silk night gown.

"We need to leave in about thirty minutes though. Itachi called and said he wanted to give you a crash-lesson in being interviewed and evaluated by – what in Hail Mary's name is that?", Konan's voice never wavered even with her surprised reaction as she stared at Hinata. Said girl gave the woman a confused look.

"What? D-Did I do something?"

The agent snorted. "You tell me." , she tossed her Iphone to the girl and Hinata looked into the reflective covering and squeaked. That hickey was still there as vivid as day. "You got some in Paris.", Konan stated, a small grin on her face.

Hinata jumped and feverishly shook her head, but that didn't stop the reprove look that Konan was sending her. "I-I didn't do anything in Paris! I-I'm still a virgin! R-Really!" Konan's look never changed though; instead a big smirk came onto the woman's glossed lips.

"Sure you didn't. Just get some makeup and cover that up. The Elders are going to look for every detail. " The agent turned and made her way up the wooden steps while Hinata sighed a little and began to run her fingers, only for her to wince and bring back her hand when she felt the sore spot.

Damn that Sasori…

The girl plopped back down on the bed and closed her eyes. Apparently Konan knew she would try to go back to sleep…

"I KNOW YOU'RE STILL IN BED, YOUNG LADY! GET UP BEFORE MAMA HAS TO COME AND GET YOU!", Kushina's voice rang out from the kitchen. The bluette quickly got up and grabbed the pink robe off a hanger before rushing up the steps and out the door, a light smile on her face.

She felt at home here.

* * *

A shift in the bed is what startled Sasuke into opening his eyes and peering into the darkness. A pair of arms made its way around his bare waist, which caused him to sigh softly and try to figure out who the hell it was in his bed.

"Are you awake, Sasuke-kun?", a sultry voice whispered in his ear with a lick of his ear.

He sighed once again when he heard that voice. _Damn_. He shrugged Karin off and got out the large bed, not wanting to give her any more to talk about. She laughed a little and fell back onto the bed, not modest enough to cover up her bare chest.

Sasuke looked around for his pants, but couldn't find them in the large room. Apparently, they were in the guest room, because this didn't look anything like the black room he made personally for himself.

"Looking for these?", his eyes went back toward the bed where the woman was smirking while holding his grey boxers. He made his way over and tried to grab for them, only for it to be taken snatched from the air, replaced with her kissy-face. "Kiss me and you'll get them."

He snorted and forcefully took them from her grasp, earning him a playful whimper from the red-eyed woman. "You're no fun, Sasuke-kun, but that's what I like about you! You're so manly!"

"Who the hell let you in?", he seethed as he tried to put on his underwear, but couldn't seem to do so comfortably with the redhead eyeing his manhood like a piece of candy. Or meat.

She averted her eyes from his manhood and looked into his dark orbs while putting her hands behind her head. "I came over to visit you 'cause you didn't answer my phone calls. I had just wanted to talk, but you wanted to do other things…" She giggled, a large blush on her face.

He knew he shouldn't have drunk himself to oblivion last night. Dammit.

"I enjoyed last night. It was a dream come true! You know, when I first met you in Paris, I thought that you were beautiful and charming! I was so happy that Kakashi-san let us meet, but the way that you were ignoring me at the ball, I just thought you weren't interested, but now I see you were just playing hard to get! And now you leave Sakura for me! I knew our love wasn't one-sided!"

"What?", Sasuke questioned as he looked for his pants. He had stopped listening when she said 'Paris'. Karin squealed when he bent over to look under the bed.

"God, I can't believe it! I just slept with freaking SASUKE UCHIHA!" Sasuke jumped back up and looked over the bed with urgency; he glanced at the condom wrapper on the stand next to the bed and calmed down before dragging his pants from under the bed. He did **not** want another pregnancy scare.

He hadn't even plan on sleeping with anyone until after the divorce was final on Monday, but it seems like lil' big Sasuke had other plans…

"You want to go another round?", Karin asked as she removed the covers, revealing her nude body. God, she was so vain…

Just as he was about to tell her to get the hell out, the guest door was thrown open.

"Good morning, duckey! Sorry I didn't call…you…", Mikoto's voice trailed off as she looked at the scene.

Karin screeched and covered her nude body with the covers. "M-Mrs. Uchiha?!"

Sasuke stared at his mother with wide eyes, and watched as she slowly looked from the bed at Karin to him…then her eyes lowered..

"Oh my God!", she screamed as a huge blush came onto her cheeks while she covered her eyes, her Dooney and Burke bag falling to the floor.

"What the hell is the commo – sweet Jesus, Sasuke, really?!", Madara shrieked as he look at his young nephew. "There's a great invention called underwear that comes with the bonus purchase of **decency**! Get some!"

Sasuke quickly covered his man-parts and looked out the open door past his two relatives. His whole entourage just stood in the door, watching him with wide eyes as they stared at him in all of his nakedness.

Would it kill to have a peaceful morning?

Not knowing what to say ,and just not caring anymore, he dropped his things on the floor and pushed past his mother and his uncle, letting his privates show.

"Idiots.", he muttered as he passed his large entourage, "Suigetsu!", he yelled, and soon the young man from before emerged from one of the rooms, a clipboard in hand.

"Yes sir – hello there…", his voice also trailed off as he stared at his boss's junk. "Do you, um, need some pants?"

"If Keri-

"Karin-", Suigetsu corrected

"-isn't out of this house in the next three minutes, I'll rip out your fucking tonsils-

"Got them removed when I was a kid-"

"I'll improvise!", Sasuke hissed and went on his way to his room. Suigetsu sighed heavily and made his way to the guest room, not wanting to know what Sasuke's definition of 'improvising' was.

* * *

"Bye, sweetie! Good luck! Mama loves you!", Kushina yelled from the door as Hinata and Konan walked towards the agent's Audi A8. "Make sure you eat your rice bar slowly, dear! And you, scary lady, don't you dare drive faster than eighty miles an hour!"

Konan smiled at the woman despite her inner distaste for her nickname. "Will do, Mrs. Namikaze."

"It's Uzumaki!",

"Whatever." Konan ignored her and closed the driver door before looking over in the passenger seat at Hinata, who was eyeing her rice bar that was covered in a pink napkin. The woman sighed and cranked up the car and looked back.

The bluette looked back to the house and saw that Kushina was still standing there, waving and smiling. Hinata sadly smiled and waved back to the woman, watching as the house shrinked as they went down the road.

She didn't want to leave the red-haired woman; she was attached to her. She was getting homesick each minute the woman drove towards the Sabaku Corporation.

Konan grew tired of the silence. "Shoot it to me."

"I-I want to be with mothe-I mean- Kushina-san.", Hinata stuttered as she started to eat her quick breakfast that the woman had made for her.

"You'll have all the time in the world to hang out and cook with the woman when you get back.", the agent replied with an even tone as she made her way onto an interstate.

After another moment of silence, Hinata couldn't take it.

"Konan, does i-it make me a bad person if I want someone not to remember something?", it came out of her mouth before she could stop it.

The gothic woman gasped and glanced quickly at the bluette. "Hinata Hyuuga is being selfish? What is this world coming to…"

"I-I'm not being selfish, well, at least I'm not trying to!" The girl tried to defend herself, but Konan's smirk said that it was too late.

The woman laughed a bit before exiting the interstate and turning into the huge city of Japan.

"By the situation precise, I'm guessing that you're talking about 'Mama'." Hinata nodded and started to finger the pink napkin.

"I want her to get her memory back, I do, but w-when I think about it, I just, I just want her to stay the way she is now."

Konan gave her a straight look. "You know she can't-"

"I-I know. She has a husband and a son, a whole family that loves her and that needs her. But I-I need her too and…" She didn't know what else to say after that.

"You're afraid that once she remembers everything that she'll forget about you?", it sounded more like a statement than a question, but the girl shook her head. "If not that than what?"

Hinata sighed and leaned her head to the window, making sure to be careful so as to not disturb her head injury. "The real her wants me to be with her son, Naruto, but I don't want to be with him. I don't even want to _hear_ about him. I'm afraid that when she gets that me and Naruto aren't going to be together that she'll find another mate for her son, and I'll be let forgotten."

Konan nodded a little. "I still don't understand, but okay." She was not good at these talks. "So instead of wanting the man without in-laws, you want the in-laws but not the man?"

The bluette nodded, her point finally being made. "Y-Yes, that's it! I-I want the in-laws -"

"-but you can't have any in-laws if you aren't with the man.", Konan sung, which knocked Hinata off her high-horse.

"I-I know…", Hinata said silently. Konan looked over at the deflated girl and sighed heavily.

"You shouldn't be worrying about her gaining her memory right now; she lost it, when, yesterday? How long will it be until she gets it back?"

"A-About three months.", Hinata murmured.

"See, three months is a long time. Cheer up." The bluette stayed pressed up against the window, which annoyed the woman a bit. "Right now.", she hissed, and the girl sat up.

Konan was right; three months was a long time from now. Hinata sighed and calmed down a bit, then she realized where they were headed. And she started to freak out.

"T-T-The meeting! I-I'm not ready!" The girl started to fumble around in the car until she grabbed Konan's bag from the backseat and pulled out a comb.

She quickly combed the indigo locks, but stopped and yelped a bit when she combed bruise on her head.

"o-ow.."

The comb was pulled from the girl and thrown in the back. Hinata looked back towards her agent with wide eyes.

"W-Why did you-"

"The meeting starts in an hour! You'll have plenty of time to do all of those…things that you _girls_ do."

"W-What do you mean by that?", Hinata asked as she tried to straighten out her silk, lavender blouse.

Konan stuck her nose in the air and passed by at couple of cars in her area. "You should already know by now that real women like myself are not concerned with the likes of such, how do you put it, _girly_ things such as neon makeup and combs-"

"That c-comb came from your bag-"

"That was Ino's comb. Like I was saying before I was rudely interrupted, we women don't need such luxuries. We are too mature for such things."

"So you don't u-use combs?", Hinata asked as she looked out the windows at the buildings passing by.

Konan shook her head as if the girl's answer was ridiculous. "We women use brushes; combs give off the childish vibe, which you possess rather nicely."

Hinata couldn't tell if that was a compliment or an insult.

The woman continued on. "I understand, you are still a child, Hinata, nineteen year old child. Until you reach the legal drinking age in America, you will not be able to experience the joy us real women have in the society."

"S-Sakura is twenty-one.", Hinata stated.

"Haruno is not a real woman. I said real. Insert _real_.", Konan became offended easily, which made the girl laugh. "Real women are always calm, cool, and collected in any situa- what in the fucking name of Jashin is this?!" The car swerved to a stop in front of the entrance of Sabaku Corporation.

Hinata looked to see what Konan was yelling about and soon her throat went dry.

A lot of construction men were set up, right next to the building. Hinata could see that the structure of the building was being made and her eyes immediately shifted to the white banner stuck in front of the construction site.

**_Omona Gyangu Site : Main Gang Corporation in Process._**

The building was being built right next to Sabaku Corporation.

"No, this cannot be fucking happening!", the woman grabbed her bag from the back and slammed the car door behind her; Hinata jumped out as well and followed the raging woman towards the building.

She didn't know what to think at this point. The four men that she was trying to avoid were going to be right beside the place that she would work in. It seemed like she would never avoid them; they would always be entwined in her life.

A young man was coming out of the building at the moment of the woman's rage, and he stopped when he saw the two. Konan shifted her deadly gaze towards the man, who instantly froze when he saw her.

"G-Good morning, Kon-" He was cut off when a pair of keys hit his forehead as the gothic woman passed him into the building.

"Park my car!", she growled as she stormed into the building; Hinata gave the poor man an apologetic smile before rushing after the woman.

"D-Do you even know him?!", the bluette asked as she tried to keep up, but she was ignored.

The employees running around stopped and glanced at the woman and tried to scurry away, but her voice stopped them.

"Don't try and run now, you incompetent, soulless, imps!", her voice rung out in the room, making every employee stop and hurriedly come towards her. All ninety of them stopped in front of them, their eyes shifting from her glaring face.

"I leave this place for three days, THREE days, and you all manage to screw it up-"

"We didn't! We did our jobs!" The man lifted up his files. "See! I finished my stack!", he laughed nervously.

Konan still wasn't happy with that and growled, making every employee shiver from fear of losing their job. "You know that's not what I'm talking about! I'm talking about that!", she pointed out the large glass window at the construction site.

"I told you ningens to purchase that land months ago! What the hell happened!" Hinata was amazed at how quiet they were. One of them raised their hands. "Shoot!"

"We were told to cancel the purchase and use the money to expand the break room-"

"THE BREAKROOM! Seriously! That's just outrageous", the woman threw down her bag, making each and every one of them flinch. Hinata grabbed the woman's shoulder, a little scared of her rampage also. "You care more about indulging yourself in food and air more than you do about the secrecy of this company?! I didn't order you to do such a stupid thing!"

"Kankuro did!", a voice meeped out in the crowd.

"So you listen to him over your loyal, hardworking maiden?!" A hand rose slowly once again, and Konan pointed to the woman.

"H-He's the boss's brother. W-We had no choice!"

Konan seethed for a minute before putting her hand on her hip, her frown still there. "Get out of my sight, you sick mortals." They didn't even listen to the whole statement before running back to their work stations.

"I don't know how I put up with this.", muttered the woman as she grabbed Hinata and stormed to the elevator. "When I get to Kankuro…"

Hinata nervously shook when the elevator doors closed.

This was it; she was about to go up against some mad dogs soon, the Elders. Her nerves were ready to hop around it seemed, which is why she looked at the elevator keypad and started to add up the numbers she saw…

_One plus two is three…three plus two is five…five plus.._

"Don't do that.", Konan stated, knocking her out of the slight daze. Hinata nodded and started to finger her rice bar. This was getting bad; her heart felt like it was about to leap out her chest.

With a ding, the large doors opened, and the sweet scent of cherry fragrance came to the bluette's senses. The floor looked busy; people were literally running around from room to room, papers stacked up to their chins and steaming coffee cups being delivered on trays.

The first face that Hinata saw was the woman sitting at the desk beside the large office door, Matsuri.

Konan dragged her to the desk, her eyes on the brunette in front of her. "Do you know-"

"The whole floor does!", Matsuri exclaimed as she picked up the ringing phone and answered with a smile despite her frantic stature. "Sabaku Corporation of Design, how may I help you?"

"Where's Kankuro?", Konan asked silently; Matsuri pointed towards the break room and went back to her conversation on the phone. The agent turned towards Hinata, who was still nervously shaking. "Go down to the end of the hall and turn left." With that, she left the former-heiress.

Hinata shuddered a bit and looked around as people passed by her on the crowded floor. She could feel herself closing inside, her heart beating too hard. She was so nervous that she could feel her ears burning again. She could see the looks of worry crossing the employees face as they passed her, but ignored them.

Matsuri looked up again and her eyes widened when she saw the woman. "Hinata Hyuuga! I-It's you! Oh my God!", she deliberately hung up the phone on the man calling and jumped up out of her seat. "You don't know how much I love you! I'm your biggest fan!" Matsuri glopped.

This, however, only made Hinata overwhelmed. She smiled a little at the woman, but Matsuri continued to ramble.

"- I was so angry that that scum bag Uchiha got engaged to that model Sakura – you two are meant to be- I was so happy that he called off their engagement! I knew he was still in love with you!"

Hinata's eyes widened a bit. "W-What did you just say?" It couldn't be…

Matsuri nodded quickly and squealed. "Yup, last night is when he did it! It was all over the internet! Should be on television right now! – and that fight that happened yesterday- You totally won!"

Hinata was speechless; Sasuke and Sakura were over? That couldn't be right…

Just as she was about to ask the girl if she was sure, a ding from came to her ears.

" – she thinks that I'm not fucking responsible enough to take care of Aira! Seriously, I take care of my daughter – "

"Only when you're not arranging Tarzan nights." Both Hidan and Sasori emerged from the elevator clad in business suits.

Hidan gave the redhead a grin. "You're still mad about me fucking with your drink! I told you, my bad! I didn't know you couldn't hold your fucking liquor!"

"Fuck you.", Hinata noticed that most of the women in the hall had stopped doing walking and were now swooning over the men. "There's my partner in crime.", Sasori greeted to the bluette when he saw her, but then looked down and saw her rice bar. "Oo, give me it!"

Hinata gave him a light smile and handed him her bar, letting him finish the rest of it. Her nervousness going out the window at this point.

Hidan grinned at her. "Well, if it isn't Ms. Badass. " She was getting used to his curses by now, and just offered him a light smile. "I thought you were a shitty goody-two shoes, but you've shocked the hell outta me! You knocked the fuck out of that bitch!"

The bluette blushed, not knowing if that was something to be proud of.

"I just downloaded it! It's so epic!", Matsuri exclaimed; some of the employees and Hidan rushed over and crowded around the  
desk, eager to see the video as well.

This was not what she wanted…not at all. She could see it now… Hinata Hyuuga and Sakura Haruno get into a huge Cat fight…or something like that..

Sasori grabbed her hand and started to lead her down the long hallway. "You need all the prep time you can get." She agreed with him on that, she did need it. He looked towards her, his hazel eyes connected on her face. "You alright? You sort of bombed on me yesterday."

Hinata looked down at her heel-clad feet as they walked. "S-Sorry about that. I was just a little overwhelmed by the..um." He smirked at her sudden shyness and Hinata couldn't help but blush harder at his stare.

"You said you wanted me to value as my friend, but I can't do that if you don't let me in, Hinata." Her lavender orbs widened a bit and her heart raced when he said that. "Next time let me be there for you, okay?"

It was hard for her to let anyone into her world. She had always tried to keep her problems and her secrets to herself; no one had even known about how Sasuke treated her in their marriage but Konan, and that was only because the gothic woman was her personal assistant, always there by her side…

It was going to be hard for her to let the locks come off of the cage that she had locked herself-

"Okay?", Sasori repeated as they stopped in front of the door at the end of the hall. She looked up into his eyes and saw that they had softness about them. Hesitantly, she nodded and felt his hand intertwine with hers.

She watched as he smiled down at her for a moment before opening the door; her eyes stayed on his face though as she watched him with admiration.

It would be hard, but she would try…

If only just for him.

* * *

Sasuke emerged from his room, clad in his sweatpants, and walked down the tall staircase to the main room. It seemed like today just wasn't his day; he could still smell the ginger scent of the woman he was in bed with.

He didn't understand why, but he was feeling rather sluggish, like something bad was going to happen. His eye started to twitch a bit when he made his way down the last step onto the marble floor of the room where his mother sat alongside his uncle. He could feel the danger coming.

To his surprise, his Mikoto remained quiet, and had seemed to find the large portrait of himself and the bluette on the wall more interesting.

The Uchiha sighed heavily before grabbing the remote off the coffee table and popping on the television, ready for the agonizing silence to go away.

He later regretted that idea.

The flat-screen was left on a gossip station, and the words that blasted out of the tv caught their attention.

**"-the blogs are talkin', and so are we ,about the fight, or more like ****_beat-down_****, between the former-Heiress Hinata Hyuuga and mega-super model Sakura Haruno on yesterday inside of Rigan Grocery! The fight was recorded and posted this morning on Youtube, receiving a wopping twenty million views in just five minutes of the post! We – "**

Sasuke hurriedly changed channel, but was also associated with the topic as well.

**"It's official; the super model Sakura Haruno and former 'Hottest Male' star are no more. A member of the Uchiha's entourage stated that the couple split just last night after the fight between Hinata Hyuuga, who is thought to be dating new beau Sasori Hitachiin, proud member of Akatsuki and cousin to CEO of Sabaku Corporation, Gaara Sabaku; and super model Sakura Haruno, who, clearly, lost the fight! Could this mean that our hottie Sasuke still has feelings for his soon to be ex-wife? Or is this sudden decision linked to the trauma that Sasuke is receiving after the bomb went off i-" **

Sasuke muted the television and started to stare at the pictures flashing on the screen of the night in Hotel Ritz Paris. His eyes hardened when he saw Sasori and Hinata smiling at the camera from table of the celebration along with the Sabaku siblings, bright smiles on their faces.

He became mesmerized by how she looked so happy; so happy without him. Her dark, indigo hair ran down her shoulders in waves, complimenting her white gown and highlighting her skin. He couldn't take his eyes off the picture; his eyes soon shifted to the redhead beside her, who was smirking at camera with his arm leaning against Hinata's chair. Sasuke could feel his eye twitching again…

"I'm disappointed in you, Sasuke." His eyes snapped to his mother, who wore an emotionless mask along with his uncle.

He scoffed and plopped down in one of the chairs. "I thought you wanted me to get rid of Sakura."

Mikoto frowned at him. "Don't put words in my mouth, Sasuke. I never said I didn't like her. I just thought that she wasn't right for you-"

"And you were right, she wasn't. So why are you so disappointed again?", he asked as he propped his feet up in the chair, letting his dark eyes show his apparent boredom in the conversation.

"You're not being mature, which is the requirement of being CEO.", Madara stated evenly. Sasuke rolled his eyes at that comment.

"You're looking at him right now. Me. CEO remember?", he stated as he pointed to himself.

Mikoto sighed. "Yes, you are doing a wonderful job in running the business, Sasuke-

"But?", he mused.

"- you're not representing it very well. These fights that are happening-"

"That wasn't my fault-"

"You were associated with it! That, and now this sudden break up with Sakura is making Uchiha look like a powerhouse for gossip! Uchiha was made to be a strict business without all of the sentiments of the media." Sasuke thought over what he had heard for a minute before looking back at his mother.

"So you're saying that I'm too famous to run Uchiha?" Mikoto and Madara simultaneously looked at each other before turning back to the young man and nodding. Sasuke started to become annoyed with them. "Itachi is famous and he ran Uchiha -"

"Yeah, well you don't see Itachi sleeping with multiple women and running around town getting into fight-" Madara started.

"I didn't fight - "

"You're guilty by association!", Mikoto yelled. "You need to change this cocky attitude and grow up, you hear me!" Sasuke glared at his mother, but closed him mouth and gave a grim nod. The Uchiha Queen stood up and grabbed her purse. "I'll talk to you when you apologize!"

"To who?", Sasuke asked boredly as he watched Madara and his mother walk towards the door.

"To your wife!", she called over her shoulder and went to open the door, but stopped when she saw the portrait of him and Hinata on the wall. "Madara – grab that off the wall. I think it can fit in the car if we lean our seats up a bit." Mikoto walked out the door, nose in the air, leaving Madara and Sasuke in the room.

The Uncle sighed, but grabbed the very large picture off the wall and turned towards the Uchiha once more.

"Fix it, Sasuke.", with that, he left out the door, the large portrait in hand.

Sasuke huffed, but let their words race through his mind. He didn't know what to do right now; he didn't feel like getting ready for work. Like he had said, today just wasn't his day.

So he gripped his remote and watched the pictures roll across the screen.

The last picture they showed was of him and the bluette dancing. He paused it right there, and stared at it, admiring how both of his and her eyes came together.

Like Ying and Yang.

* * *

**This feels like such a filler chapter to me *ugh*, I just can't stand it. I hope you all enjoyed it though. I was just going to put in the meeting scene and stuff, but the clock started to tick to 12:00 and the chapter started to hit 7,000 words and soon it just came crashing down. I'll correct errors later...**

**Before I go, I have some questions need to be answered, so time for FAQ.**

_**FAQ**_

_Way to go getting your scenes from Diary of a Mad Black woman. **This story is just dragging it's feet you are wasting reader's time, for what reviews?** Please come better than that._

_**Answer: Sorry if this story seems to be dragging to you. The thing that I think makes the some of the reviewers see it as a drag is the amount of chapters that it has; 22 already seems like a fiction like this is supposed to end, but It won't. I looked at this fiction and read it, and let me tell you, the first eleven chapters seemed so short to me that I felt disgusted. I've really improved since then...really. If you pair up some of the first chapters, you'll see that it equals to around 5,000 to 8,000 words, which would make this story so far only 16 chapters, so to me that seems good and not such a drag. **_

_**By saying that I am wasting reader's time, I'm guessing that you mean the closing of this fic? I'm very sorry, but if you expect me to just let Sasuke and Hinata make up and run into the sunset so early on right now, you've come to the wrong story. I want to focus on character development between them, let them have a relationship that is suitable enough for them to even have an actual relationship, if they choose to do so.**_

_**And I don't get any of my scenes from Diary of a Mad Black Woman. I don't even think that any of the stuff I put in this fiction relates to that movie. It's been years since I even watched that movie and now I'm feel like watching it...damn.**_

_**Also, I don't do it for the reviews, but for the my itching hand that requires me to type my imagination onto text; getting people's opinion on this fiction is a luxury.**_

**_-When will Naruto&Co come back from France? _**

**_They are back; they arrived on a later time than Hinata and the others._**

**_-What exactly is TenTen's situation? is she filing for a divorce ? Why is she staying still?_**

**_Hopefully, you'll find out why in the next chapter..._**

**_-Did Sasuke know that Hinata knew about the women he had cheated on her with? or did he found out now?_**

**_He knew that she knew about the women._**

**_- What exactly is the story of Hinata's mother? and how did Sakura know about it?_**

**_I think that you'll find out next chapter._**

**_-Is Sasuke going to go against his feelings for Hinata because of his bruised ego?_**

_**Maybe...I can't tell you that! ;)**_

_**You write that Sasuke and Hinata will get along eventually. Does that mean that they don't get each other?**_

_**Yes, they don't get each other. Hinata is confused and Sasuke is just...Sasuke. No one gets him. Not even me.**_

_**Just a question, why did Sasori go back to the store after dropping Hinata? I mean the time didnt seem right to complete his purchase, did he give Sasuke a piece of his mind or maybe did some damage control?**_

_**Hopefully this chapter answered your question! :)**_

_**Will we be seeing Hiashi anytime soon?**_

_**Definitely.**_

_**Why is Hinata mad at Sasori?**_

_**She's not mad at him. She was just overwhelmed at the time.**_

_**Will the pairing change?**_

_**Although I put SasuHina as the pairing when I made it, I just did it to unify that they are married and that this is their marriage. It is about them; however that does not mean that they will be together. I don't know who she will be with right now. This story kinda writes itself...**_

_**Why are you dragging this story out?! I only want to see what will happen between SasuHina, not everyone else!**_

_**Sorry, but I can't just give you their story alone! To me, that would be boring. I wanted to show you how all of these lives link together; no one is secluded. It's not just Hinata in this life; she has friends and family who are all affected by her or how they affect her. I just don't throw these people together. I want to show everyone how her situation and her involvement effect each and every one of the people around her. I don't put characters in her life unless she has some meaning towards them.**_

_**I want all of you to see how Hinata's 'My Story' comes and intertwines with others. New relationships will be formed, and some will be broken forever...**_

_**I'm planning for this story to be no more than fifty chapters, so this will be long, like I said.**_

_**Well, bye for now and God Bless you all! :)**_

_**OAN: I haven't forgotten what I put in my summary. I know exactly what I'm doing ;)**_


	24. Chapter 23: Turning Tables

**Author's Note:**

Hi again! I'm back! ^_^ So, here's the thing...

After I got my computer time (yay!) back from my little brother, I became...lazy. Yes, lazy. So lazy that I would type then go goofing off on the web. But then I got a review reminding me to update this story! When I saw that, I immediately started typing and BOOM! Here it is! The next chapter! YAY! Seriously, you guys are going to have to pitch in and help me get off my lazy bum and type! If I ever take too long in updating a chapter, don't be afraid to message me!

Anyway, thank you all for your reviews and support in this story. You guys rock! ;) I can't flipping believe how many of you like this story. You all will not how I gapped when I read all of your beautiful comments and words on my writing. Thank you all so much. I will try to improve some more! I'm also glad that you all find this story entertaining and surprising; I'm flattered really! You all are lovely, really.

I'll try to update as soon as I can for you all. Well... **Warning: Reference to Torenza's Dead Famous**, though I doubt any of you will notice it.

**OAN: **After years of just listening to his Japanese voice, I finally listened to Sasori's real voice...and I squealed like a fangirl! His voice actor is the same man who acts as Izaya Orihara from Durarara! Johnny Bosch! I love Izaya Orihara! *screams* Just to know that he and Sasori share the same voice makes me happy about how I write Sasori in this fiction.

Oh, and one reviewer wrote PEWDIEPIE in their review! How did you know I was watching Pewdiepie when you sent in your review...I LOVE PEWDIEPIE! and I love Izaya Orihara!

You all are just so entertaining...

**Enjoy.**

* * *

_**Chapter 23: Turning Tables**_

_**"But difficult situations and wrong choices conspire to trap us in hopelessness." **__**  
**__― Judah Smith, __Jesus Is _.: Find a New Way to Be Human_

When the redhead opened the door, the bluette could see her nii-san, Itachi, at a long table, occupied with the phone in his hands. She held her breath a little, but quickly let the air back out. She was nervous about this little 'session 'that was about to go on; the last time she had had a real conversation with the man was the first time she had come to the building. She remembered him saying that she was 'too submissive' and 'weak' and that Sakura was a catch. The bluette honestly didn't want to be taught by him. He would surely intimidate her. Who wouldn't be intimidated by Itachi?

"Bonjour mon ami.", Sasori greeted the man as he ushered Hinata to the seat in front of the quiet man. Itachi remained quiet as he put up his phone and stared at the two.

Hinata looked up at the man for a second before letting her gaze meet the table. "G-Good morning, Itachi-nii-san." Still, he said nothing as he stared at her. She was getting intimidated at this point. Very intimidated.

"Well I'll leave you two to it.", the redhead said as he let go of Hinata's hand and was about to leave the room, but the bluette quickly grabbed his sleeve. He looked down at her in curiosity and saw that her eyes were screaming for him to stay.

"Where are you going?", she asked, trying to sound normal, but it came off as a little possessive. He bent down a bit towards her ear, making sure not to let the other man in the room hear.

"He's not going to bite your head off, Hinata."

"You d-don't know that.", she quickly whispered. "Please s-stay." He sighed a bit.

"I have to go. Gaara wants to see me." She shook her head, making her indigo locks sway a little.

"No. S-Stay." He had a feeling that by her tone, she was trying to use the dog-method on him.

He smirked a bit at her. "I'll be back.", he unhooked her fingers from his sleeve and soon left the room, leaving the two behind.

Hinata watched the door that he had left out of with wide eyes. She thought that he was joking, but he was serious.

With a sigh, she looked down at the table, determined not to look into his eyes. She had never liked him that much and she knew that he couldn't care of what happened to her. That was just how things were, but she did see him as her big brother. He had always acted like the kind that didn't care, just told her what he thought was right and left it at that.

"I'm disappointed.", she snapped her head up at him, making her bang sway a bit. He had his finger hooked together under his chin, looking at her with such intensity that she averted her eyes elsewhere.

"I'm s-sorry, nii-san." She didn't know what he was talking about, but she just agreed anyway.

"By fighting you've put yourself at a disadvantage with the Elders. They are going to think that you are immature and brash, and not well suited to represent Sabaku or the Akatsuki." She hadn't thought about it like that. "This among other things, like you dating a member of the Akatsuki-"

"I-I'm not dating Sasori. It's a misunderstanding.", she replied quickly, a small blush on her face from embarrassment. She was still married for God's sake…

"Misunderstandings turn into things more trivial. Work on that.", he spat out, making the girl flinch. She didn't like the way he was talking to her, but kept quiet and only nodded.

"Yes, nii-san.", she replied even though she had a different feeling inside. The bluette heard him sigh.

"Judging by how you are right now, they will laugh in your face as well as Gaara's face for choosing you to represent us.", she looked back up at him once again, not believing the words he was saying. "The first project that Sabaku has ever joined with us will become a complete failure, all because we choose the wrong person to represent us. We should have persuaded Sakura a bit more to have her do this line.", he said it as if it was like explaining physics

Hinata had to close her eyes and think about what he had said for a minute.

"Nii-san I-"

"She would have been better. The color and design of the line would have fitted perfectly with the image. She has experience as having done a lot of shows in her lifetime." The former-Hyuuga only snapped her eyes up at him once and looked back down at her hands.

"I know, but nii-san I-"

"And she is beautiful." Hinata couldn't even fathom what to say to the man, who obviously wasn't listening to her. Sure, Sakura was drop dead gorgeous, but her personality, from what Hinata could see, would make her look like the mean girls in school. "She would have been better."

What was with these Uchiha men?

"Well she isn't here, so it looks like you're stuck with me.", she snapped at him. He didn't waver, just stared. She could feel the jittery feeling in her stomach disappearing, and being replaced with a fiery bottomless pit.

"You're too weak to have this position-"

"The Elders won't think so.", Hinata cut him off. Her nerves were getting the best of her; never in a million years would she be snapping at Itachi. "If you're not going to give me any advice on pleasing the elders, then I suggest that you either leave or leave your opinions to yourself and wait for the others to arrive so that they can help me.", she said it before she could stop it from coming out.

This had been happening a lot lately. She had been losing herself and she wasn't happy with that. She felt that she wasn't handling certain situations well; everything was becoming overwhelming. She couldn't think straight right now because of her nerves and the sheer fact that she had snapped at Itachi.

She let her lavender eyes glance up, and to her surprise, he was smirking at her.

"You've changed.", she wanted to roll her eyes at this statement, but didn't want to disrespect him. That's the exact same thing Sasuke had said.

"I haven't changed emotionally. I'm still the same old me.", she stood, intent on getting out of the room before she exploded, but heard his voice.

"Sit.", he ordered, and with a low pout she slowly sat back in the chair. Itachi couldn't stop smirking as he started to talk. "You have changed. A lot."

"I haven't.", she protested.

"The Hinata I've known wouldn't have stood up for herself just then." The bluette only stared at him blankly. "It's good to see that you're maturing."

She didn't feel like she was maturing at all; she still felt like herself.

"Thank y-you nii-san.", she muttered inaudibly. Even though he had complimented her, that didn't mean that she would warm up to him. He seemed suspicious and he did think that Sakura was better for the job.

"I want to apologize for what I said earlier. I was just trying to see what your reaction would be if you were put in a situation like that. Even though Sakura is a splendid model, she wouldn't have been the perfect candidate for the line that we are hoping to create." Well that did clear up some things…

But she wasn't going to apologize for what she had said, even though she really, really wanted to.

"You don't have to apologize for what you said. I understand that it was just a reflex.", he stated calmly. This was becoming surreal right now. She was afraid to even think right n-

"I can't read minds. I just have good guesses." He closed eyes and laid both of his hands out on the table, palm up.

Hinata was scared, very scared. Was he some evil force of mankind?

She watched him open one of his eyes. "Give me your hands."

She didn't know how that would help her win over the Elders, but Itachi wouldn't just do something stupid to pass time. Would he?

The bluette was knocked out of her daze when she heard him sigh, and hurriedly set her hands on his. She looked at him and saw him nod, his eyes still closed. "Now close your eyes."

Slowly with hesitation, she let her eyelids drop and was consumed into a world of darkness.

His hands felt surprisingly soft, which made her feel self-conscious a bit. She wondered if her hands were kind of coarse…

"Thirty minutes until you see the Elders." Her heart started to race when he said that, and she almost opened her eyes to see if he was joking, but heard his voice. "How do you feel about that?"

She had almost asked him how would HE feel, but refrained from doing so and tried to think of what to say. The first word that popped in her head was 'scared'.

"Um, I-I feel scared."

"Why?", she heard him ask softly. The room around her became silent, as dead as she had known it to be.

She couldn't even hear herself breathing nor her heart beating. She felt like she was floating, becoming more out of touch with herself, like an out of body experience.

_"Why?"_ She heard him again, but this time his voice was barely there. She felt her body relaxing, her nerves that felt like sharp needles in her skin were vanishing, being replaced by a warmth that she hadn't felt before.

_"Why are you scared?"_

She didn't listen to him; she was more focused on what was taking over her own body. She liked this feeling; she felt cozy and warm. It felt like a homey-presence one would have if they visited their childhood home. Like how one would feel if they laid in the meadow fields and reminisced on their life.

Hinata felt calm, secure even. She didn't want this cycle to break; she could feel the feeling reaching to her feet by now…

_"Are you scared?"_ No. She wasn't, not now. She wanted to say it, but couldn't find her voice.

_No_, was what she thought.

What was there to be afraid of?

Before she could drown in the warmness, it was pulled from her as well as his hands. She snapped her lavender orbs open and looked at the man before her. His eyes were what caught her; they were crimson, fierce and piercing.

"You're ready.", he stood and grabbed his bag. Hinata stood up quickly, that warm feeling still in her body.

"W-What do you mean by that? What did you just do?" He didn't answer her, all he did was look back at her once before exiting the room.

When the door closed, Hinata sighed and quietly sat back down.

What were with these Uchiha men?

* * *

"Do you think that it is possible for a baby to live outside of the amniotic sac at, let us say, three months?", Lee asked as he sat at the kitchen bar, his medical book open in one hand and his other holding a pen.

Tenten paused her work on the omelets in the pan and casted Lee a sideways glance before getting back to her work. "I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that…"

"I'm serious Tenten! Do you think it can survive? I looked over the pregnancy cycle over a thousand times now and I do not see how a three month old fetus can't survive outside of the amniotic sac."

The brunette sighed and took the pan off the stove before setting it on the counter. "Well it sounds like you haven't comprehended what the book is saying." When he gave her a curious look, she sighed and grabbed the book from him. Soon, she stopped and pointed at the fetus at 12 weeks. "You see there, even though the baby is developed, it still has to get its finger nails and toe nails as well as its teeth – then the body systems have to start working as well. It still needs the placenta."

Lee's eyes softened at the photo for a minute before he connected his dark eyes to hers. "I've been trying to tell myself that for the past few weeks, but it just is not sticking. I feel as if there is a way for the baby to survive, a way that many doctors and physicians are overlooking."

The bun-headed lady's heart raced a bit when she saw his eyes filled with determination. "Here Eat up.",

His eyes lit up when he saw the food and he smiled brightly up at the woman. "Thank you, Tenten!"

She set his plate in front of him and leaned against the counter behind her, watching him as he ate.

She was caught in a daze as she watched him.

It was the perfect time to tell him, but she felt herself falling back a little. She had been waiting for a moment like this, a moment where he would be busy doing something and she could just blurt it out and get it over with.

Tenten sighed a bit and pushed her nerves aside as she looked at the male. "Lee, I-"

_Rrrrriiiiinnnnngggg!_

Lee stopped eating and got up from his seat. "I will get it!"

The woman smiled when she saw Tenji run through the door towards her, his long brown hair whipping behind him.

The spitting image of Neji.

She bent down and pulled him into a hug. "What's up, kiddo?" She felt his arms wrap around her neck as he buried his head into her chest.

Lee looked at the affectionate scene with wide, tearful eyes. "It is so beautiful to see such love that it makes me tear up!" Tenten lifted Tenji up while giving Lee a weird look.

"You shouldn't make that a habit, Lee."

Just when he was about to reply, a ringing sound came from his pocket. He quickly brought the device out and stared at his pager with calm eyes before sighing.

"I have to go to the hospital."

"Running low on nurses again?", Tenten asked as she felt smoothed down some of Tenji's hair.

"As always.", he grabbed his bag off the run-down couch soon. "I will see you two youths when I get back!"

When the door closed, Tenten felt that void build inside her once again, but pushed it back and looked down at the Tenji, who was still quiet as he layed on her chest.

She shook him a bit, but he still didn't bulge. "What's wrong, Tenji?" Had he found out about the divorce? If so, then she was definitely going to punch out a couple of eyes…

He raised his head and let his lavender eyes meet hers. "Are you and daddy fighting?" Tenten paused a bit at his words and quickly shook her head.

"N-No, we aren't fighting, dear. What would make you think that?" If that Kin had done this…

"I heard the cooking staff talking about it at Uncle's house. They said that you were going to fight daddy and get a divhorse."

"Divorce…", she didn't want to tell him that that was exactly what she was going to do… "We're not fighting, sweetie."

"Then why are you staying with Lee?", he asked as he stared at her.

_Shit…_ It was hard to answer his questions, very hard, but she kept her smile in place.

"I'm just visiting Lee is all."

Tenji thought about it for a moment before accepting the answer. "So that day when you were playing cops and got into the cop car when I was sick, you and daddy weren't mad at each other?"

Tenten stared at him for a while before her thoughts came together. "Wait..what did you just say?" He sighed and wiggled his way out of his mother arms until he was on the floor.

"Kin-chan said that you and daddy were playing cops, that was why they put you in the cop car." That was the most…Tenten couldn't even think of what to say.

"Um…", she was cut off by Tenji's voice again.

"Daddy has a bandage wrapped around his head from playing doctor! He said it was fun, but he had to stop because he was going cama….camtoast!"

"Comatose?", she _had_ to see that. Stupid bastard got himself hurt; it was usually like that when she was gone for long periods of time anyway. She smirked at the thought.

"You and daddy play too much! You guys are funny!" He sat down in the chair Lee was in and pulled off his backpack.

Yeah, it was funny. Very funny. Tenten laughed a bit and put her head in her hands. Yep, she was feeling out of place right now.

She didn't know what to do. Her mind was hazy, very hazy.

She wanted to divorce Neji, badly, but could she tell Tenji that?She needed to talk to someone, someone with a positive insight…

Tenji smiled fondly up at her as he showed her his new toy. She smiled, but still couldn't remove her mind from the situation.

Where was Hinata when you needed her?

* * *

Hinata's heart jumped when she heard the door open and soon Sasori's head popped from around the door.

"Time to shine, Hyuuga." She nodded and shakily got up, careful not to fall on her face from her heels, and followed the man out the door.

Hinata wrung her hands together, trying to see if nervousness would feign up in her stomach again as she walked beside her sidekick. "Hinata.", she muttered, her gaze still faced forward.

"Just trying to see if you're there.", he pulled out his phone. "Deidara says good luck and that he's sorry he can't be here." It was a good thing that the blonde wasn't here. He would have been a minor distraction, and his family was much more important than a meeting.

She nodded and tried to come up with a scared feeling, but none would come. Her face started to scrunch up a little as she tried to find out why she couldn't feel the fear.

But she couldn't, and it was making her anxious.

"How are you feeling? Are you feeling nervous? You are going to be in front of a crowd.", Sasori smirked down at her.

What?

Hinata snapped her eyes up at him. "I thought it was just going to be the Elders-

"- as well as the special guest, the new crowd of interns, Gaara and his siblings, and the Akatsuki with the exception of Deidara and the inclusion of Kisame, whose fishy-ass just came back from Iceland, which makes a grand total of seventy people."

She glared a little at his smug grin. "A-Are you trying to make me have cold feet?"

He wrapped an arm around her shoulder as they turned down a hall. "I am, but it's not like it will work anyway. Itachi said that his technique would work, and apparently it has."

"What special technique?"

He shrugged. "Something about giving you some of his 'positive' energy, but don't blame me when you wake up in the middle of night on your ceiling; I said it was a bad idea. There isn't anything close to positive about that Uchiha."

She smiled a bit at him and pushed his arm off her shoulder. "Y-You're nothing positive either, Sasori." He smirked a bit, but let her have that one.

When they rounded the last corner, they saw a few employees going into a room with large boards. Hinata squinted a bit when she saw the Akatsuki members standing at the entrance, waiting for the pair to come.

They all looked so serious; she hadn't noticed before, but they all wore black suits with the little red cloud on the pocket. Even her agent, Konan, who was busy arguing with Kankuro. The only difference was that the agent had on a black skirt instead of the slacks.

"How are you feeling now?", she heard the redhead ask as they neared the group.

"Nervous, b-but not scared.", she replied quickly. She felt a pot of butterflies fluttering around in her stomach.

Konan pushed Kankuro's body away from beside her on the bench and ushered Hinata to come and sit. With small steps, Hinata sat beside her agent and offered the blank woman a smile.

"Did it work?", Hidan asked as he bent down and looked into the girl's eyes, making Hinata blush and lean back a bit. "Do you feel scared now, bitch?"

The bluette looked around a bit and saw Itachi watching her from the corner in the hall; she soon looked back at Hidan, who looked to be inching closer to her. Yes, she was now. He was too close for her tastes, but she didn't want to say it when he was in her face…

Konan did for her by pushing him back and sighing. "This is it, Hinata. The day that all of the employees have been anticipating.", her voice was dull, which made the girl think of a robot's. "You going to pull this off?"

Hinata wanted to say 'yes', but you never know what will happen, so she just nodded.

"I'm just going to go in and get a seat.", Kakuzu stated as he was about to go inside, but was pulled back by Hidan.

"Nuh-uh, bitch! You're not going to skip out on prayer now!" Hinata snapped her head up when he said that.

Just then, a man with bright orange hair stepped out of the elevator, dark sunglasses on with the exact Akatsuki attire on, minus the jacket that was hanging off of his arm while his other held a coffee cup. The bluette quickly noticed the vast amount of piercings that he had on his face.

"Good morning, Pein-sama.", everyone said in unison, with the exception of Konan, who looked the other way. Pein didn't greet them back though.

"Let's get this over with.", he threw his jacket at the gothic woman's face and stood in the middle of the room, hands outward. "Make a circle. Now."

The men groaned, but complied anyway. Konan threw the jacket off of her face and glared at the man before grabbing Hinata's hand and pulling her up. "I suggested that we do Prayer Circle to ease your nervousness a bit." Hinata nodded and stepped beside the tall, dark-skinned man.

Konan grabbed her hand while Kakuzu grabbed her other.

"Aww Hell no, can we switch?", Sasori said after a while when he realized that he was stuck in between Pein and Kisame, who was glaring holes into the redhead. "I can take leader-sama, but fish-face? You all know I can't stand him. I can't pray with him _holding_ my hand."

"You're just mad that you can't hold Deidara's hand!"

"Everyone's not like you, fish-sticks!"

"You fuc-"

"Shut the fuck up.", silence swept the hall when Pein said that. "Now everyone bow your heads and, if you're brave, close your eyes."

It was a long silence that in sued, and Hinata had to peek open an eye to see what was going on. The men were looking around at each other with pointing eyes. The bluette sweat-dropped.

"Who's going to start it off?", Kankuro asked quietly as he held both Itachi and Kisame's hand.

"It should be me.", Hidan replied, a smirk on his face. "I am a very religious fucking man; I've talked to Jashin quite a number of-"

"NO!", everyone said in unison.

"We want to talk to God, not Jashin.", Konan muttered, eyes still closed and waiting.

The albino looked around the circle for a minute. "Oh, you mean God. Well,…huh….I wasn't prepared for that…" Pein was becoming annoyed at this point.

"Well isn't this a time killer. Five more minutes 'til we have our balls busted.", Sasori looked forward at Hinata, who jumped a bit. Five minutes.

"My positive energy is being disrupted.", the Uchiha stated as he looked at Pein. "Positive atmosphere is needed right now."

The leader snapped his head to Sasori. "Start us off."

"W-What?! I started us off last t-"

"That was Gaara.", Kisame cut him off, a smug smile on his lips. Sasori glared at him a little, but closed his eyes and sighed a bit.

"Okay…where do I start…Oh! Okay, I know now!... God, we want to thank You for all that You've done for us…and …hm, and others around us. We are here to ask for Your support and blessings for this meeting - but it's okay if You say no! We'll understand that. I know what You're probably mad at me up there about having that threesome with those women last week in the condo, which I'm starting to regret, and now wanting to ask for Your blessing, but let me just say that I haven't had sex since I came back from Franc-"

"OKAY, that I didn't need to hear!", Kankuro yelled.

Quickly, the circle was disrupted, but Hinata still had her eyes closed waiting for the drama to cool down.

Sasori opened his eyes and glared at the man. "At least I'm being honest. Gosh..anyway, even though I've – no – we as a whole have done bad things, I believe that we can change and better ourselves. So today, God, we ask for Your guidance and blessing today so that we shall change ourselves for the better. Amen."

"Amen.", Hinata stated softly, and opened her eyes and stared into the hazel ones gazing at her from across the circle. She smiled a bit at Sasori when the circle started to disappear and the men started to go into the meeting room.

So people can change and better themselves…

Pein looked at her before he went into the room, sunglasses still in place. She watched the other Akatsuki go into the room, leaving her, Sasori, and Konan in the hall.

"This is all that we can give you, Hinata. Good luck.", with that, she agent slipped into the room, leaving her with the redhead.

Hinata exhaled a bit, letting her nerves blow away a bit. She was nervous, yes, but she had to push all of her whizzed emotions aside and do this. This wasn't just her career she was affecting; the Akatsuki and the whole Sabaku Corporation's salary on the line; this opportunity could give many people jobs right now. If she failed, then Gaara would probably drop her and the Akatsuki would fail. That's just how it was.

The former-Hyuuga closed her eyes for a minute and prayed again to herself before looking at Sasori, who was smirking at her predicament. She frowned a little.

"Why a-are you smiling?", she asked while trying to straighten down her black skirt.

"Because you're funny when you're nervous.", he stated as he leaned against a wall, his eyes still on her.

She wasn't listening to him right now, she was busy trying to look at her reflection by squinting at the glass picture on the wall above her head. "Any advice?"

"Don't try and shake their hands; the other girl tried that and was left with shame and embarrassment. Poor situation really."

Hinata brushed her bangs out a bit and looked at her face a bit more. "I-I should have worn makeup…"

"It's a good thing that you didn't. They would think that you're a whore then, just like the last girl. Shame…" Sasori shook his head a bit at the memory. "She works at Ichiraku now."

_Ichiraku…_ She could have hit her head against the picture she was trying to see herself in. She had forgotten all about her part-time job.

She pushed that on her mental to-do-list and instead gripped her slightly shaking hands. Forget what Itachi had done; it wasn't working very well. She was getting beyond nervousness when she saw that Temari had stuck her head out the door of the room.

"They're ready.", she glanced at Hinata and gave her a small smile before closing the door back.

It felt like her wedding day all over again…That was how nerve-wrecking it was. She felt that she was going to screw up. She felt heavy, like the weight of everyone was on her shoulders.

Sasori sighed a little. "Think of it this way: get this over with and then you can relax and stuff your face while watching those indie horror movies."

"I-I don't like scary movies much." She was getting sick.

The redhead looked down the hall for a moment before looking back at the bluette, who was obviously about to have a panic attack. He sighed once again, but spoke soon.

"Den Teufel nicht an die Wand malen.", he stated, his eyes boring at her figure. Hinata stopped her mind rant and looked up at him.

"W-What did you say?"

"Den Teufel nicht an die Wand malen."

She looked at his emotionless face, trying to see what he was thinking. "W-What?"

He smirked at her confused look. "An old German proverb that my Granny Chiyo used to tell me when I was little. It means 'Don't assume something will go wrong when it isn't guaranteed'."

Hinata couldn't take her eyes away from him for some reason. He looked calm, like he had done it a thousand times before.

"You need to start believing in yourself, Hinata. Just because this situation seems tough doesn't mean that you won't succeed. If you don't believe in yourself, then I'm pretty sure that the Elders won't either."

She looked at her hands for a moment, almost forgetting that her ring was gone, and looked back up at the redhead. "What if I d-do fail?"

"Life will go on."

He was right; life would go on. It would probably have her laying on Ino's floor, depressed and dreading the divorce case. Just not doing anything but being depressed was not what Hinata wanted. She wanted to be with Sabaku and the Akatsuki; it looked fun and it helped her see the better sides of the world a bit.

She wanted to prove that she wasn't just the meek, little girl that no one didn't want. She wanted to prove that to others, but mostly to herself.

And to Sasuke.

Her blood started to boil a bit at his name, so she pushed him to the back of her mind.

Kankuro's head popped out of the door soon. "Gaara's calling for you Sasori. I'll show Hyuuga to her chair." Sasori nodded and went towards the large double doors, but not before giving her another one of his cocky smirks and entering the door.

"This way, Hyuuga-san.", Kankuro called as he held opened the door for her. With a final breath, the bluette nodded and walked forth, past the double doors and into the room…

She almost gasped when she walked into the room.

It wasn't like a meeting room at all; there was no long table with chairs, nothing like what she had imagined.

It was like one of those talent shows, from what she could remember, that had the judges panel while the audience sat close behind.

Kankuro slid his hand on her low back and ushered to the table that was about three feet away from the panel. He pulled out her chair for her and she slowly sat down, right in front of a microphone propped in front of her. She gave a confused look to Kankuro when she saw the microphone on the table.

He saw her confusion, but didn't know what for, so he pushed up her chair and patted her back in a comforting way.

"Good luck.", With that, she watched him walk around the table and to the place in front of her…

Her eyes widened when she looked up to see two-hundred pairs of eyes staring at her intensely. She could see the interns behind the panel, but she wouldn't dare look at the elders. In the corner of her eye, she spotted Konan coming from one of the doors and walking towards the table.

A sudden relief hit the girl when the agent came and took the second seat beside her.

"Let's get this over with…", Konan muttered to the girl, and Hinata couldn't help but agree with her.

Kankuro stepped towards the interns, who were squirming with excitement and spoke into the microphone.

"You all are about to witness the evaluation of Hinata Hyuuga Uchiha, former Hyuuga Heiress and wife of Sasuke Uchiha." She was beginning to hate her name. "This evaluation is an evaluation that will help both Gaara and Pein-san determine whether or not this candidate is appropriate for this new line of clothing as well as see if letting Akatsuki and Sabaku merge would be profiting." He glanced towards the other side of the room, where Akatsuki was sitting on one side together, while Gaara, Temari, and Sasori sat on the other.

"On the judging panel we have two of Sabaku's Elders who have been involved with Sabaku for over forty years, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane.", a series of claps came from the crowd of interns as the elders walked towards the judging panel from a side door.

The first that came out was an elder man followed by an old woman. Hinata noticed that they were dressed formally for the meeting, which made her a little nervous.

Kankuro waited until they were seated to go on. "Next we have our special judges, who will be helping the Elders with the evaluation. Our first guest is one of Style Guru and Catwalk King Sesshomaru Takahashi's students that he highly recommended to attend this meeting, Kimmimaro Sontago." Hinata watched a tall young man emerge from the door towards the panel.

"Next we have Fashion Editor and one of Europe's major business owners Elipope Roman." The bluette jumped when she heard that name, and instantly felt like jumping for joy when she say the portly man come from the side door, a happy grin on his face. So he wasn't hurt from the bomb afterall…

"And last, but not least, we have a spokes model from Ibisu Corporation that has been voted Miss Japan six times in a row in the past ten years…

Her happiness was short-lived; She felt her blood freeze when she saw the woman walk out into the room, making the room go wild.

_No…_

But it was true. When she saw that long, red hair cascading down the woman's to her hips, she had already known.

_It can't be…_

But it was. That small waist as well as those long, creamy legs that showed from the short black pencil skirt the woman was wearing. Hinata still couldn't believe it, not until she saw that face. She watched the woman sit down gracefully next to Elipope and pull some of her long, beautiful hair behind her back, forgetting the few strands that lay on her shoulder.

Then those cold, piercing azure eyes met hers, and a smirk made its way on the woman's scarlet lips.

"Hitomi Ibisu.", Kankuro finished, which made the crowd of interns clap and almost yell in excitement at the beauty.

Konan looked at the woman before turning to Hinata, whose eyes were wide in disbelief. "Is that…" Hinata didn't even have to answer for the woman to know the answer.

Yes, that was Hitomi…

The same woman that Sasuke had also had an affair with.

"Let's begin, shall we?", Hitomi asked as she stared vivaciously at the two women.

Hinata soon concluded that no matter where she went, there would always be a piece of Sasuke somewhere…

Konan grabbed the woman's hands from under the table and intertwined them with her own.

"We shall.", said the elder woman as she pulled opened up a folder along with the other four. "I pray to God that this isn't going to be a waste of my time."

"I agree.", muttered the man as he started to stare at something on the file. Hinata gulped a bit when the woman's eyes met hers before they went back to the paper.

"Judging from your attire, you're not that special. Just another normal girl if you ask me."

"A very pretty girl.", Elipope added as he looked at some of her pictures.

"I wouldn't say pretty, but each to his own.", Hitomi muttered as she flipped over a paper. Hinata cringed at that, but didn't show it.

"Hinata Hyuuga, former Heiress of the Hyuuga Clan. Tell me, what type of clan does it generate today?", the elder man asked her.

Hinata looked at Konan for a minute before speaking into the microphone. "I-It's a Feudal type of Clan." It was feudal; Hyuuga members still practiced a special fighting technique today, that originated over a hundred years ago. They still had a lower and higher branch as well; the lower branch stayed in a small village located in the mountains while the higher branch lived in different areas of Japan.

The elder woman, Koharu, started to speak soon. "Your father was the clan leader Hiashi Hyuuga while your mother was a house wife, am I correct?", her heart jumped a bit when she mentioned her mother, and began to nod, but a hand squeeze from Konan told her otherwise.

The bluette leaned into the microphone. "Yes, ma'am."

"I don't like her voice. It's too low for my taste.", the elder male, Homaru, muttered to Koharu, but his microphone lent the whole room a piece of what he was saying.

"Most are supposed to have that loud, confident tone as well as a deep baritone in the back to help project what they want to say to their consumers.", Hitomi conversed to the panel, earning a few head nods.

"Even though that may be true, I like how her voice gives off that certain shyness and lets consumers know that she is, in a way, just like them.", Elipope defended, also earning a few nods with the exception of Hitomi, who only flipped her hair back a little.

What did her voice have to do with anything?

Kimimaro looked up at her soon, his eyes piercing her skin. "Your skin glows…" Hinata smiled uneasily when he said that, not knowing if she should thank him or not.

"You remind me of a doll. A very fragile, mystic kind of doll.", Koharu complimented.

"Could you stand up for us, please?", Elipope asked. Hinata quickly looked at Konan, who only let go of her hand and looked the other way. The bluette nodded slowly and stood up from her seat. "Come in front of the table, dear."

With a light head, the girl slowly walked to the front of the table she was seated at and looked up towards Elipope. The panel started to stare at her, their eyes looking at certain parts of her body.

She felt like she was under a microscope. She could only watch as they 'judged' her. There was no one there to calm her down from this situation. She was getting really, really nervous, and could feel herself starting to sweat a bit from under her jacket.

She looked to the corner and saw Gaara with his relatives, staring at her intensely. She averted her eyes quickly and looked back up at the panel. She furrowed her brow when she saw that they were all still looking at her. Soon, they all pushed back their microphones and started to whisper among themselves.

The elder woman sighed loudly and pulled her microphone back to herself and gave the bluette a light smile. "I'm sorry, but could you remove your jacket for just a moment."

Hinata gave a surprised look at the woman's sudden change of personality, but complied even though her heart was beating fast. Usually she would have fainted by now, but apparently Itachi's 'positive' energy was working.

She pulled her jacket off and handed it to Konan, who was emotionless as ever as she peered at the panel. When the bluette turned back around, she was met with the wide eyes of interns and the stern face of the panel.

"How old are you again, Mrs. Uchiha?", the elder male asked as he wrote something down in his book. Hinata turned and grabbed the microphone before speaking.

"I'm n-nineteen." A murmur started through the crowd soon, but Hinata was too nervous to look away from the panel. Sasori had told her to look them in the eye, so that was what she was trying to do.

"Could've fooled me.", the elder woman stated as she continued to stare at Hinata. "Spin around for us." With a nod, Hinata quickly turned 360 degrees for the panel.

The woman nodded and wrote something down in her book. "You may sit back down."

Hitomi raised an eyebrow at the bluette. "I recommend that you lose a little bit of weight, Hyuuga, or all you're going to be doing is plus-size modeling.", her words were sharp and cold, but Hinata already knew why.

She was one of the women that her husband had developed a relationship with. Seeing his wife could only stir up trouble.

Hinata looked down at her stomach when she sat down. _I wonder if she's right though._

Koharu looked down the panel at the redhead, a blank look in her eyes. "I'm afraid that no matter how much dieting she does that her breasts and her hips won't change. She's small enough to be a model, but I guess you're thinking that because she has curves that she doesn't belong in your category."

Hitomi casted the woman a glance before rolling her eyes. "Please, she isn't even close to my category, Ms. Koharu. I just think that she's not thin enough to represent what Gaara-san and Pein-san are planning on making."

Elipope looked at the woman at his side. "They're not trying to make a runway type of wear. From what I heard, they're trying to create a line that not only design but modesty and mundane. That is why Gaara-san didn't choose a model off the runway; he choose a woman that many different women can relate to body wise."

"What are you saying?", Hitomi asked him with narrow eyes. Hinata could see that this was not going to go well.

"I'm saying that most models don't appeal to people much because of the weight as well as the design. Having her gives people a different view of the modeling world. She's curvy; most models aren't curvy, which will be unique if Hyuuga represents this line."

"Still I-"

Kimimaro cut off the redhead, making sure to cut the drama before it exploded. "You attended Sarutobi Private. Could you explain to us the school educational wise?"

Hinata nodded and brought the microphone closer to her. "I-It is a private school that acts as a high school as well as a college. T-The first year I was taught lessons from grades nine and ten and the second year grades eleven and twelve.", she looked out towards the interns a little before continuing. "The next two years I gained my college credits."

"So it was like you were going to a school and a college at once?", the elder woman asked. Hinata nodded a bit and pushed her microphone away, mentally patting herself on the back for hardly stuttering her sentence out.

Both Kimimaro and the woman nodded a bit, impressed with the information.

"Tell me why such a _smart_ girl was seen fighting in a store?", the woman asked with a disappointed voice.

Damn that Itachi.

Hinata's mind went blank when the woman asked her that question. What could one say about that? It was just so sudden, really. The room went quiet for a minute, and Hinata looked over at Konan, who just glanced at her and looked the other way. Despite her agent sitting next to her, the girl felt alone…

Just before she was about to answer the question, she heard a voice from the other side of the room.

"Skip that question and proceed with the evaluation.", she moved her lavender orbs towards Gaara's section and saw him stare down on the panel before looking back at her.

The elder woman sighed a bit before turning a page in her book. "You do understand that Sabaku is a non-violent organization, don't you? We don't hire any employees that have engaged in any type of delinquent behavior that just happens to leak out in the public. We try to avoid those kinds of things."

"Despite that incident, I don't see anything through her files about any kind of bad behavior. The situation that she was in does seem understandable. Catfights usually follow such predicaments that involve the mistresses of their husbands.", Elipope spoke as he leaned his elbows on the panel.

The whole panel seemed to agree with the situation, but Hitomi glared a bit when he said that, her red lips turning up into a slight snarl.

"Can we see the designs for this new clothing?", two men rushed up the panel and set down folders in front of the five people and soon made their way to Hinata and Konan's table. Hinata smiled at the two men and looked over at Konan.

"How am I doing?", she whispered.

"They freaking love you.", Konan whispered back, making Hinata's heart get a little light. This was easier than she had thought it to be...

Hinata heard a gasp and looked up to see that the whole panel was dead silent. Their eyes were glued to the work in front of them, some with looks of disbelief while some kept an emotionless face.

Hinata looked down at the folder in front of her for a moment and slowly opened it, curious as to what the she would see.

She couldn't help the gasp she let out as she stared down at the content…

"Oh my God…", Konan muttered softly.

She didn't know how, or why, but the person sketched her perfectly as if they had known her all of her life.

The drawing was of her, gazing softly at the world of Paris with her soft eyes, that were tinted a light lavender. This artist had even gotten her eyes right. She couldn't even turn the page as she stared at the drawing of herself.

This had to be someone else; she could never be that beautiful. Those wavy indigo locks could not be hers; she couldn't look like this. It was surreal. At the bottom of the drawing it said in cursive letters.

_Mujakina Jōnetsu…_

"Its…it is", the elder male tried to say.

"Stunning.", Kimimaro finished for him and stared at Hinata.

"The designs are gorgeous. May I ask who sketched such brilliance?", the elder woman asked as she looked to Gaara.

"Akatsuki's very own Deidara Suoh, who is going to be the design coordinator of this line." Of course it was him; she had been on the balcony with the blonde…

Hitomi stared at the designs with wide azure eyes, but snapped out of it and looked towards the others on the panel. "T-Though they are beautiful, I still don't think she should represent such excellence such as this!"

"I don't see why.", Elipope stated as he looked at the bluette. "You're a very, very beautiful woman and I would be delighted to work with Sabaku if such a beauty as yourself represented it."

Both of the elders looked towards the man with speediness before looking back at Hinata. "Despite some of the flaws that you possess, I think I speak for both Koharu and myself when I say that you are one of a kind. After some catwalk practice and a few camera runs, I'd say that we may have a goldmine on our hands.", the old woman stated calmly.

Hitomi's frown surfaced. "What makes you all think that she will adapt to the world of design?"

Konan sighed a little and brought the microphone to herself. "Rest assured, Hitomi-san, my client can adapt to any type of situation and environment that is required of her."

"Really?", the redhead challenged.

Konan smirked a little at the woman's glare. "Really."

Hitomi was a little taken back by that, but ran a hand through her hair and looked at the others.

"I approve.", she stated icily.

Hinata was surprised at her answer and shifted a little in her seat. Something wasn't right about this…

"I also approve.", Kimimaro stated soon after.

The old man shrugged a bit. "I guess that we all approve then. Congratulations, Mrs. Uchiha. Welcome to Sabaku Corporation of Design."

Hinata couldn't comprehend what had just happened. Her face felt like it was on fire as she heard a loud round of applause go throughout the room; Konan had to grab her arm to get her attention.

She looked up at the gothic woman who was smiling down at her. "Congratulations." She pulled the bluette up out of the seat and ushered her towards the panel.

The first one to get up and congratulate her was Elipope, who kissed her cheek. Hinata soon shook hands with the young Kimimaro, who offered her a light smirk…

Then she came face to face with the red-haired model. Hitomi smirked and offered her a handshake. "Congratulations. I'm quite surprised that you aren't representing Uchiha since Sasuke-kun is your husband and all.", she was trying to make her mad it seemed; too bad Itachi's energy was still in her.

Hinata ignored the woman anyway and gave her a smile. "Thank you."

Hitomi looked the girl up and down for a moment. "Since you are able to _adapt_ so well to situations, I'm pretty sure that you will do an excellent job at modeling for _Ibisu_ during the Fashion show being held by the Uchihas tomorrow."

Konan overheard the conversation and quickly intervened. "Hinata only models for Sabaku." Already talking about modeling? It was so early on…

Hitomi raised a red brow at the woman. "Did you not say that your client could adapt to any type of situation?"

Konan glared at the woman's cockiness. "I did."

"So she will be able to model for me, won't she?"

The agent looked at Hinata for a moment before looking back at the smirking redhead. "She would be delighted to do so."

The model lifted up her head a bit. "Good. See you tomorrow, Hyuuga.", with that, the pair watched the redhead strut out of the room with two bulky bodyguards following her, her long hair swaying after her.

Konan glared after the woman. "One of Uchiha's spawns here to ruin the day."

Hinata silently agreed, a faraway look in her eyes as she looked at the exit where the woman had left out of . "I-I didn't know she modeled. I thought she still worked at Uchiha Corporation."

"She definitely fucked to become one. I hate her.", Konan muttered. Hinata sighed a bit and watched as some of the interns started to exit the room.

"W-What do we do now? I don't know how to model." They both looked at each other for a while before shrugging a bit.

"Just go with the - what the hell, Pein!", Konan cursed when she was push to the side by the leader.

"Congratulations, Hyuuga. You did a nice job." Hinata smiled up a bit at the man, a light blush on her face.

"T-Thank you." Konan scoffed and pulled Hinata away from the man.

"Where are the others?"

Pein took off his sunglasses and looked at them before pushing them on his head. "They went to see which floor they wanted to wanted to work on."

Konan sighed a bit. "Hinata you better hurry on down there before they leave you with the crappy office room." Hinata gave the woman a look of confusion, but it was short-lived when she felt a hand grip her wrist and pull her.

"Come on, Hinata. I'll take you on a little tour once we find your new office.", Temari smiled down at the girl and led her away from the pair who were about to argue again.

The former-Hyuuga suddenly stopped and looked back towards the table that she was at. "H-Hold on, Temari." Hinata quickly rushed to the table and picked up the drawing. She smiled a bit when she looked down at it and quickly stuffed it in the folder before following Temari out the room, the folder in her hand.

She made a promise to thank Deidara for the drawing.

And also for his view of her.

* * *

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter with the exceptions of some errors in grammar and punctuation. It was hard writing it; very hard. I started writing this morning and now it's 10:42. I pulled a long one...and I'm proud... Now that all of that stuff is out of the way, time for some drama to start happening ;)**

**Hinata's mother will be explained in later chapters. I just need to figure out what her name is though...**

**Anyway, time for some serious talk. I just feel that I have to address it so that everyone is comfortable and we can keep this story rolling...**

**No one is a traitor by any means necessary if they choose to want another pairing for a story. Everyone has their own opinions, that's what makes us unique. **_TheBloodyNerd__ , _**you sure are a character :)**

**Well, FAQ time...**

**FAQ**

** Will Sai Ever Make an Appearance?**

Yes, he will

** I have a question about Sasuke and Hinata's living arrangements in the past like Where did they live? And also after the seperation, did Sakura move into the same house? Also after Sakura has left does this mean Sasuke is going to live alone( not taking into an account his employees) And what happened to hinata's stuff were they thrown away?**

In the past, the lived in a mansion. Yes, Sakura did move in, but not MOVE in, just stayed there with Sasuke. Right now, Sasuke is staying in the mansion with his entourage at the moment. Hinata's stuff...well...you'll get to see soon won't you? ;)

**Sasuke painted his bedroom all black ?! Was that the room he used to share with Hinata?**

No, that was his own personal room. Him and Hinata shared a different room in the house.

**Also the portrait of Sasuke Hinata, didnt hinata throw it to the floor smashing it ? or is it another one ?**

The picture that Hinata threw to the floor was a picture of her and Sasuke on their wedding day; she was in Mikoto and Fugaku's mansion when she smashed it to the floor. The portrait that Mikoto took was just a painted picture of both Hinata and Sasuke on a different day.

**When will Fugaku&Hiashi make their appearance**?

Hopefully soon.

**hidan has a kid...?**

;)

**Are we going to see any interaction between Neji and Hinata?**

Definitely

**Hinata is 19? Married at 17?**

Yes! :) I didn't know this at first, but you can get married at 16 or 17 with the consent of a parent! But you can't drink until you're 21, kids!

I made Sarutobi Private kind of like my class! The first two years of high school you get your high school credits while the last two years you get college credit! And yes, Hinata is 19 while the others are 20-25 years old. Letting little kids play in the business world...what kind of person am I? ;)

**Hopefully, I got all of your questions! If not, put it in your review. _Oh, if you all can, can you please put some type of constructive criticism in your reviews please? I want to improve on my writing so that would be nice._**

**I want to once again thank you for all of your reviews and support in this story. God Bless you all. **

**OAN: Hopefully, some Tenten and Hinata moments in the next chapter. It's been forever since those two talked...Gosh... Oh, as well as MGC in the next chapter.**


	25. Chapter 24: Trust

**Author's Note:**

It has been a while since I updated! I'm so sorry you guys! I've been so busy getting ready for school and oh my God it's 4:18 a.m.?! Where did the time go? I can't believe I sat here all day! Another day is here!...Wow...

You all deserve this chapter; longest chaper I've ever written : 11,493 words...I think...

**Enjoy.**

* * *

_**Chapter 24: Trust**_

_**"**__**The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them." **__**  
**__― Ernest Hemingway_

"Since you're going to be doing one of the _important_ jobs in the building, I guess I'll give you a little bit of a rundown on Sabaku Corporation and its basis.", Temari stated as she and Hinata started down a hall, passing a couple of workers on the way.

The bluette nodded and quickly dodged a worker carrying a stack of papers. She winced a bit when she saw the worker hurrying towards Gaara's office. That was a _lot_ of work…

The blonde looked over at the girl for a minute before turning a corner. "Make sure you listen, newbie. This is part of the company policy - so listen carefully or take mental notes." Mental Notes? Hinata nodded once again and sped to the woman's side.

"Sabaku International Corporation is a corporation that not only sponsors design, but also other aspects such as food, electronics, and business, but you should already know about the business part." _Tell me about it…_ Hyuuga and Uchiha preached it every day, who could forget…

Temari looked around the crowded floor a bit before sighing and grabbing the girl's arm. "We are going to take the stairs – hope you don't mind." The woman opened the door and made her way down the steps. "SIC has, in total, four buildings worldwide that produce different aspects; one for food production, one for electronic production, and one for business and design, which is the building we are in right now." That's more than she had expected…

"S-So are they all located here in Japan?", Hinata asked while stepping down the steps, careful not to trip and fall on her face. She didn't want to think of 'France' all over again.

Temari shook her head, her ponytails shaking a bit. "Nah, they are in different locations. One's in Italy, the other in America, and one in…either China or Denmark?", she shrugged. "Anyway, each of the buildings has at least one head worker appointing them; once the end of the month comes, all of the paperwork that needs to be signed comes to this building along with any difficulties or complaints from workers or just products itself."

Hinata gave a perplexed look at that. "So does that include the design work?"

The former-Hyuuga watched as the woman smirked before stopping at an exit. "That's where the Akatsuki's work start. Since they are a design team, they will be the ones handling that part of the business. And that, also, is where you step in." Soon, the door opened, revealing the floor that the Akatsuki were on…

…it was…in shambles? The whole floor was crowded with dancing workers as well as surprisingly drunk workers. Hinata noted the liquor been carried throughout the crowd toward the figure standing on one of the desks.

Hinata closed her eyes shut and covered her ears when she heard the loud, boisterous music radiating throughout the floor. She could hear Temari's voice a little over the loudness. "What the – KANKURO!" The bluette opened one eye and saw the woman pushing through the crowd towards the desk and decided to follow suit. Hinata felt like her ears were going to pop any minute now, and she quickly covered her ears once again. She squeaked a little when she felt something brush against her ankles, and looked down to see one of the workers lying on the floor, a drunk smile on his lips as he stared up her skirt…

What kind of establishment was this?

With quick feet, she kicked the man's shoulder aside and made her way behind the woman.

"Get back to work before I put a flame to your asses!", Temari shrieked, startling a young woman near the makeshift bar. "This is a place of business! This is a corporation, not a freaking party bus! ", most of the workers in the rooms stopped, uneasy as to what to do.

Hinata sighed a bit and looked around at the festive place and perked up a bit when she saw one of the Akatsuki members in one room, in actuality, Kisame, looking around in a desk in one of the empty office rooms. With a quick glance in the woman's direction, the girl eased on through the crowd of wandering hands and loud voices towards the bluish male, intent on getting out of the crowd and away from the angry blonde. She felt that things were about to get a bit physical later on…

The bluette peeked inside the room before stepping in slowly; he looked to be interested in what he had found…which looked to be a pen of some sort…_How lovely…_

Hinata smiled nonetheless and decided to speak to the man. "H-Hi, Kisame-san."

She tensed up a bit when she saw him avert his eyes from the pen to her, but still kept her slight smile. Even though he looked intimidating, she could tell that he was somewhat friendly when Sasori wasn't around to torment him. _Wonder where he is anyway…_

Kisame gave her a look before plopping down in the new, big office chair behind the desk and staring at her with a wary look, which startled her a bit. "Mrs. Uchiha – "

"Ms. Hyuuga, b-but you can call me Hinata. Please.", she cut him off quickly, not wanting him to complete a sentence with THAT name. It was haunting her. Literally. She wrung her hands together a bit, noticing how the atmosphere turned awkward the second she stopped talking. The music from outside entered the office, and now the catchy song "Come and Get It", by an American artist was playing.

This was getting more awkward by the moment, so Hinata decided to sit down in the chair in front of the desk. The song was getting to her a bit; she had almost danced a bit.

With another smile, she folded her arms and decided to start a conversation again. "S-So, how was your trip to Iceland?" She had heard him talking about going there at the first meeting, surely he would have something to say about that.

The bluish man loosened up a bit it seemed, which made Hinata's nerves settle. "It was good. I gained a lot of inspiration. It's beautiful out there, even though it gets a bit cold from time to time."

The girl nodded and brushed some hair behind her ear. "Did you get what you came there f-for?"

Kisame thought for a moment before nodding. "Yeah. I guess I did."

"Well it looks like this conversation is over." Hinata sighed a bit before looking at the door towards the redhead, who was currently leaning against the doorframe with a box in his hands. "Come along, Hyuuga. I think you've had enough omega 3 for the day."

Just as Kisame was about to retort, Itachi made his way into the room, a box also in his hands. "Sit down, Kisame." Hinata watched a bit as she watched him and Sasori set the boxs on a desk on the other side of the room where surprisingly another desk was set up.

Then everything clicked. A pair to a room.

The bluette snapped her head to the redhead, but he shook his head with a smirk. "Already taken. Deidara already called and made plans to paint our office. Sorry, little vixen."

"Oh…" She thought for a moment before a thought popped in her head. "I can ask K-Kon-

"Pein-sama _will_ kill you.", Kisame cut her off while he place a miniature Akatsuki candle on his desk before he propped his feet up. "I'm done with my decorating."

Hinata pouted. Well she **wasn't** going to come between Hidan _and_ Kakuzu…

"W-Who will I share with?" Apparently the question was taboo, because all that the men did was stare at her; even Itachi, who was currently lighting some type of paper in the room.

"Does it matter? The new guy won't be in for a couple of months, so you'll have a whole office to yourself till then.", Kisame reassured her as he shifted his beady eyes to his phone.

Hinata nodded a bit, but still gave a wary look. "R-Right…"

"Hey, have any of – WHAT THE FUCK?!", all eyes turned towards the door where Hidan was currently rubbing his eyes and backing away from the door frame. "What the fuck is wrong with this shitty place? My fucking eyes are burning!"

Itachi, impassive as ever, looked towards the flaming paper in his hands and back towards the man.

Sasori smirked. "That's Sage, bitch. Itachi's going to purify your ass." Laughs filled the room, and Hinata couldn't help but let a giggle surface as Hidan tried to cover his eyes from the smoke.

"Someone open a fucking window! Seriously, I just wanted my fucking keys!", the tearing albino yelled, whipping the stray tears away. Kisame sighed and pulled the keys out of his pocket before throwing them at the man, who easily caught it and was about to go out the door, but stopped and looked over at the grinning redhead.

"Gaara wants to see your shrewd ass." Hinata jumped when his magenta eyes moved to her. "You too, bitch."

The bluette didn't even have a chance to react before she was by the wrist and dragged out of the door by Sasori, who idly waved to the men in the room.

"My child calls. See you all tonight.", the redhead said over his shoulder as he dragged Hinata down the hall. The music was gone, in its place, twenty custodians cleaning up the mess. That small party had caused a lot of damage; now Hinata knew why she didn't have many parties growing up.

Hinata looked up at the redhead beside her. Her mind started to wander back at what he had said earlier; what were they doing tonight. She didn't want to sound like an obsessed friend or anything, but didn't friends hang out together? Shouldn't he have invited her?

She sighed and looked down at the floor while picking at the ruffle at the bottom of her blouse.

She hated feeling like this; her conscious was eating at her; her heart was becoming empty. She had usually kept these kinds of things to herself; she always did when she was with Sasuke.

She could remember how he made plans to go out with his friends and how his plans consisted of her staying inside, lying on the couch waiting for him to come home. She would feel left out, alone, like an outcast. Then she would think about Tenten, Ino, and Konan, and know that she had friends.

But that didn't mean anything, nothing at all. Without them, she would be lonely, no matter the situation. Like now…

"You're unusually quiet. You just made the Elder's Interrogation look like child's play; you should be acting cocky right about now." She glanced up at him for a moment before averting her lavender orbs away and giving a nod.

Sasori raised an eyebrow at her behavior and let go of her wrist. "Is there something wrong?"

"N-Nothing is w-wrong.", Hinata silently said as she pretended to admire the few pieces of art they were passing in the hall.

"Okay, now I know something is wrong.", he stated. "Are you upset about something?"

"…N-No…" She hated that she was stuttering; it made her look like a liar.

"You're lying. Why don't you just tell me what's wrong?"

_Because I don't trust you to understand… _Hinata didn't meet his eyes, afraid that she wouldn't be **that** good at lying. "Nothing i-is wrong."

She heard him sigh, which made her heart twist. Was he already getting tired of her?

"You're stuttering more than usual around me, which can only mean that something is up.", he moved his hazel orbs over the girl's form and saw that she was slouching a bit while wrapping her arms around herself. Another sign.

Sasori sighed once again before speaking. "You've fallen in love with me?"

That managed to make the bluette quickly look towards him with an incredulous look.

"W-What? I-" Hinata stopped when she felt Sasori take her wrist and push her to the wall, right next to the door of an office. She shook her head at him, her face turning red. If anyone came from that office… "Sasori-"

"It's true isn't it? You want me." This was getting ridiculous…

"No, I d- ", she was about to start, but looked up and saw that his face was only an inch from hers, and his lips were laced with a smirk. "No, I don't. M-Move."

"Closer?"

"No!", she quickly pushed him back and pulled down her skirt before looking both ways. "W-What is your problem?"

He gave her a dull look, momentarily dropping the smirk he was holding in. "Just confirming my suspicions. You're upset about something, and you are planning on keeping it to yourself."

"That doesn't explain your actions at all.", she mumbled as she gripped her arms behind her back and leaned against the wall. She wanted to drop this conversation and get on down to Gaara's office. Maybe her darkness would disperse a bit.

"Why aren't you letting me in? I told you that I couldn't help you if you didn't confide in me." Hinata wanted to snort, she really did, but at the tone of his voice she couldn't help but think that he really did care.

She had thought Sasuke cared, and she had let him in her life. Only hurt and sadness came as her outcome.

She inwardly shook her head as she looked at the redhead's tie instead of his face. "I don't need your help. Why do you want to know what I thinking about?"

"Because that's just the type of guy I am. If you're going through something or you just need someone to talk to, you should be able to talk to me about it." Her eyes widened a bit when he said that; she remembered him saying something similar to Deidara when they were arguing in the studio.

"Why are you telling me t-this?"

Sasori gave her a smirk. "Because I thought we were friends. Aren't we friends, Hinata?" She looked up into his eyes then.

Hazel: Compassion. Empathy. Daring. Independent.

That is what she pulled from his lidded eyes. His eyes were like a glass portal; it showed every emotion he depicted, never holding back what he really felt. She could read him like a book almost. His orbs were endless. Reflective.

"W-What are you doing tonight?", she made sure to look away from his face when she asked him the question that was causing these problems. Her face get hot from embarrassment. She wished she could take back her question.

"Is that what was irking you?", Sasori said with amusement much to the girl's chagrin.

She closed her eyes and covered her face with her hands, wanting to hide from reality. This was embarrassing; it felt weird expressing her feelings to someone other than Tenten. Nonetheless, she nodded.

She didn't hear anything from him after; it was like he was thinking about something. Soon, she felt him grasp her wrist and tug them down to reveal her face. She had tried to mask her anxious and depressed feeling, but felt that she was failing considerably.

"Tonight we're going to the building where the Fashion Show will be held tomorrow. We're all – well, except you- walking for Sabaku. All of the models of the show will be practicing." _Oh…_ Hinata pursued her lips and gave the wall behind him a blank stare.

Sasori raised an eyebrow at her. "You thought I was leaving you behind, didn't you?"

Apparently he was something like Itachi. He could read her a bit as well. Slowly, she nodded, which made him sigh a bit.

"You overthought what I said." She did.

It was becoming unbearable for her at this point. Her inferiority problem was affecting her; it always had been. No matter how hard she tried to be independent and strong, it never worked. She was clinging on to Sasori, hoping that he could be the person she leaned on now that Sasuke was gone.

Sasuke, despite him being the cause of many of her problems today, _was_ her clutch. She could have never imagined being without him. She had thought that without him, she was nothing.

Now that he had left her, she was clutching onto Sasori, afraid that he would leave her. That was why she was blowing things out of proportion.

The bluette felt that she had done it again; she had somehow found someone to cling onto again.

"Do you know how much it is going to cost to get this whole floor clean?! Huh?! We're going to have to reach into the funds that we were going to use to redecorate the building!", Temai yelled as she came from the door while gripping Kankuro's arm.

"We have more than – ow – enough money! That Kakuzu guy will get us some more!" After the pair came Konan followed by Pein.

The gothic woman looked down the hallway towards the pair gestured towards the door behind her. "I have to go do some work down in the lobby. Text me if you need a ride home.", with that, both the woman and Pein went down the hall, but not without Hinata seeing the orange-haired male grip the agent's waist. _Weird… _Soon, a loud sound and groan was heard. "Lecher." That was Konan for you...

"Hinata…", she heard his voice again; it was like he was begging her to let go.

She wasn't ready it seemed.

Hinata looked up at him once more before moving past him and down the hall, a stray tear leaving her eye. She had a problem that she needed to know of. She couldn't live like this, clinging from person to person. She needed stability.

She needed to find herself.

* * *

Neji was knocked out of sleep by the knocking and opening of his chamber door, revealing a young maid, who stood at the door with a flushed face. His eyes slowly opened and he moved them towards the door.

"Yes, Eri-san?"', he asked with a dull voice as he brushed some of his hair out of his face, suprisingly also brushing some pillow fluff away as well.

She tensed a bit before blushing again, reminding him sickeningly of his cousin. "Hiashi-sama wanted to ask if you would be attending the board meeting being held today?"

"No.", he stated with an even voice while eyeing the blushing girl. He didn't remember hiring her. _Must've been Tenten who did._ He inwardly pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind and sat up straighter in his bed, careful not to touch the bandage on his ear. "Where is my son?", he asked as he looked around himself on the bed; the boy's green dinosaur was still beside him along with his WWW Smackdown pillow case.

Normally the young boy would be waking him up right now with his constant jumping on the bed; waking up without the boy felt foreign. He could've sworn Tenji was under his arm when he had woken up in the middle of the night…

"Kin-san got him ready to go to his piano classes - I made sure to tidy up her room when she left, sir." _Piano classes? Tenten must've did that as well…_

The Hyuuga-Heir nodded and began to get out of bed, but quickly noticed how the maid closed the door and twisted the lock. Still, he pretended to be oblivious and grabbed his robe off of the wall, his back facing her. "Is there something that you need, Eri-san?"

She started to undress much to his surprise, but he only glanced from the corner of his eye before averting his attention back to tying up his robe. _Of course…_

He had expected such things to happen now that most of his staff knew of affiliation with the Kin. Most of them thought of him as a monster, a menace to the society of Hyuuga men. Others thought of him as fair game; they felt that it was their chance to confess their undying love to him.

"I was afraid to say this before, sir, but I cannot hold in these feelings any longer." He had the urge to clench his fists, but glared out the window when he felt her hands on his shoulders. "I've been in love with you for so long, so long that it hurt to see you with talking to her, even gazing at her from afar.", her sultry voice had no effect on him, not even her soft hands as she slid them inside his robe. "Now I see that your gaze was not real, that you really weren't in love – "

He slowly removed her arms from his body, making her gasp a bit as she watched him step away from her and look into her bluish eyes. His eyes were cold and icy, like little needles sticking into her arms during the winter. Her confidence was wavering, and soon she felt self-conscious by how his eyes were growing to resemble disgust, repulsion from her actions.

"I'm sorry to say that I do not feel the same, Eri-san.", his apology felt forced, like he didn't care whether or not his words broke her heart or not. "You have stepped out of line and I'm afraid to say that you have also violated some of the rules on your contract." She stiffened when he said that.

"I thought t-that since you and Mrs. Hyuuga were seper-"

"We're experiencing a difficult time in our marriage, but that doesn't mean that me and my wife are splitting." She started to tear up a bit at his words, and soon grabbed the covers off of the bed and pulled them to herself.

He hated this. He hated to be in this situation at all. It wasn't supposed to be like this, but eventually something had to give…

Neji gave her a blank look soon. "Because of your actions, you will have to leave within three hours. Have one of the workers help you get your things." He didn't stay to hear her tearful babble or how she started to yell his name; he just calmly opened the door and closed it, all the while trying to push the bun-headed woman from his thoughts.

He had bigger things to worry about than his distraught marriage.

The Hyuuga looked towards the guest room down the hall before turning down another hallway. He kept his head up, even as some of the maids and butlers threw his resentful glares, and as some threw him lusty looks. He ignored them all though.

He had thought of himself to be an honorable man, a man that loved his family and would do anything to keep them at peace, even give up his own life for them. He soon found out that what he had thought was true; he _was_ an honorable man. Like he had thought before, a man would give up anything for his family…

Especially for the one he loved…

"Sir, Elder Taku is waiting your arrival out front.", an elder woman bowed before him, her white hair falling over her shoulder. He nodded and walked towards the room before emerging inside for fifteen minutes and re-emerging, clad in his casual clothing.

A few guards followed him out towards the white limo, but he also ignored them and let a blank look come onto his face. The chauffer nodded before opening the limo door for the Heir, revealing the old Hyuuga clad in traditional robes.

His wrinkles divulged deep into his face, like marred scars and hanging flesh while his white eyes held wisdom beyond his own old age.

Neji looked towards the man once his door was closed and let his true expression come to surface. He leaned on his knees and placed his hands under his chin. Elder Taku said nothing as he held the heavy stack of yellow files on his lap; he simply watched as the young man glared into the dark glass window that separated them from the driver's position.

The silence was killing him slowly, so Neji decided that no matter what he was told that he had to keep his composure. His eyes slid to the Elder sitting beside him before he looked towards leather seats. "What did you find?"

"A lot." That answer was enough to send him over the edge, but he just threw his face into his hands and thought about it for a while. "I am sorry, Neji-sama." What did he have to feel sorry for? It wasn't him that was experiencing this twisting dread of knowing that what had been the most horrible experience of his life was caused by his own people.

The Elder man continued despite Neji's distressed state. "I managed to grab all of the scenes concerning the year of the accident and what I found is something that I myself didn't know of despite me being on the Elder committee of Hyuuga for the past fifty years. This is not a light subject-"

"I know that.", Neji spat out, his hands now gripping his long locks. He need something to grab on. Taku nodded and pulled out his glasses.

"What you are about to hear may not be what you are hoping for, and I want to know that, despite what I say, you will not try to harm or accuse the Hyuuga Clan in any way." It didn't make any sense, but he nodded anyway intent on hearing what the man had to say. Elder Taku nodded once again, accepting Neji's behavior before setting the stack aside and hooking his hands together.

"There was a death threat sent to the Hyuuga Manor exactly fourteen days before the accident. Do you recall hearing of terrorists from the Ri Clan invading on Hyuuga Lands?"

He had heard about it alright. His father had always turned up the tv when such information was on the news.

When Neji nodded, Taku continued. "On the seventh day of the threat, Houzin, a member of the Elder committee, was killed while on Hiashi's dock on the private land. If you didn't know, Neji-sama, Houzin was the uncle of Hiashi-sama and Hizashi-sama, which meant that he looked exactly like your uncle and father."

"They mistook Houzin for Hiashi-sama.", Neji stated as he sat up and stared at the ground.

Elder Taku nodded. "Soon after the death of Houzin, an attempt to take Hinata-sama as hostage for Hiashi's life was attempted, but of course your courageous and noble father stopped the invader before any harm could be done.

"Houzin's death and the attempted kidnapping of Hinata-sama startled the Clan and made them see that these threats were real. That…" Neji looked towards the man when he paused. The Elder looked at the younger Hyuuga for a long moment before continuing. "That is where Hizashi-sama came in."

_God…_ His stomach started to churn, making his whole body feel shaky. Yet Elder Taku still went on.

"From the file I pulled on these fourteen days, Hyuuga contacted the Ri Clan, and the officials claimed that they didn't threaten our clan in any way and felt that in order to break the tenseness between both Hyuuga and Ri that the head leaders of the Clans would need to sit down and discuss it.

"The Hyuuga Elders thought that it would be risky to agree to the arrangement; 'A clan cannot be ran without its leader.' is what they said. After the controversial and fiery debate, apparently the basis of the lower branch's humanity didn't triumph over the basis of a leader and it was soon decided that Hizashi-sama would be used as a decoy in Hiashi-sama's place."

Neji's face never changed, but his eyes became itchy and hot; he pushed back his tears and watched his hair as the strands brushed his hands that were tightly gripping his pants.

Elder Taku saw this and started to try and explain the Clan's actions to the man.

"They never suspected that anything would ever happen, Neji-sama. The car looked – it looked like it belonged to Hyuuga but it didn't! Who would think to look in the rear-view mirror and see that the car belonged to the Ri Clan?! W-We didn't know – they had planned it too well, Neji-sama!" His inconsistent topics were annoying, and his loud voice was hurting the Heir's ears, particularly the one that was injured.

Neji snapped a glare towards the blabbering man. Elder Taku stopped his rant and let in a shaky breath. "The limo driver was a member of the Ri Clan. H-He was the one who crashed the limo into the railing, which threw both him and Hizashi off the mountain's edge. It wasn't an accident at all. I am truly sorry, Neji-sama..."

This is the fate that the lower branch suffered from; the fate of sacrifice. "Your father was a brave man, Neji-sama."

He had known all along that his father's death was not an accident, that the Hyuuga Clan had been involved. His father had never ridden in a limo in his entire life; Neji had known that something was not right when he had heard that his father was in such a vehicle. Lower Branch members were not allowed to have such luxuries.

_"We are here, sirs." _The intercom came on and soon both doors of the limo were opened. Elder Taku did not move though; his white eyes were filled with sympathy for the young man next to him.

"I'm so sorry, N-"

This pain was getting worse, so he decided to exit the vehicle before he lost it. He turned to the old man in the car. "Make sure to put those documents back. Thank you, Taku-san." Elder Taku gave the man a sad smile and nodded before Neji closed the door.

When the limo pulled off into the distance, leaving him in front of the Main Hyuuga Manor, he let his grimace come onto his face.

He couldn't feel any remorse; all he felt was fire.

He was fire, burning in his own Hell.

* * *

"S-So I sign right here too?", Hinata asked as she gripped the pen in her palm and glanced up at teal eyes before gazing back at the thick document before her.

Gaara leaned forward and narrowed his eyes a bit before nodding. "Yes, that too." The bluette gave him a quick smile before signing her name, all the while having to make her hand stop from writing her last _last_ name. She flipped to the next page and started to read the long passage from the beginning to the end.

She was making sure to read every little detail; that little stunt with Shikamaru had taught her some things; she had trusted him and he had burned her. Right now she would put trust after business.

As she got to the second paragraph, a loud sigh was heard from the man sitting next to her.

"You don't have to read the whole packet, you know. We don't have a demand of sexual pleasures from our female employees. Yet.", Sasori muttered the last part. Hinata never missed a beat in her reading.

When she was done, she nodded a bit and started to sign.

_Hinata Hyuuga U- _She quickly scratched out the last letter and turned the page, which earned her another sigh from the redhead. The former-Heiress only gave him an owlish blink, which startled him, and continued on with her reading.

Sasori snorted. "That was cree-"

"_Shush_.", Hinata idly whispered as she scanned through the words. Sasori gave her a slight glare, but it was short-lived when he noticed that Gaara wasn't saying anything.

He slid his hazel eyes to the man in front of him and, to his surprise, found him staring intently at the bluette beside him. It would have been normal, but that feral look in his teal eyes was only meant for predators that had seen their prey. The kind of look that a lion gave a gazelle. His eyes looked reddish as well, as if he hadn't been resting.

Sasori could see how a smirk started to form on the redhead's face as the girl pushed some hair behind her ear. He obviously hadn't been following Sasori's orders.

"What time did you take your medicine last night?", Sasori asked in a reproving voice, which brought Gaara back into reality and erased that feral look in his eyes, replacing it with normalcy with a glint of guilt.

Hinata looked up at the two for a moment before going to the line down at the bottom and signing.

_Hinata Hyuuga Uch ,_She sighed a bit and scratched out the three letters before turning the page.

Gaara gave the bluette a long lock before locking his eyes to the glaring man in front of him. "I didn't think I needed them."

"The doctor told you otherwise, which is why he specifically said once a day until your next appointment.", Sasori seethed and moved around the desk to open one of the drawers. "Did you take them the three days we left?"

Hinata glanced up from her last paragraph to see the CEO's response. Gaara waited for a moment before responding.

"No."

Sasori pulled a bottle of pills from the draw and set them down in front of the redhead. "Why not?"

"I didn't need them.", he repeated again while taking the bottle and opening it before two white pills came out. He mildly stared at the medication before putting them in his mouth, not bothering to drink anything behind it.

"You know better. I thought I could trust you to follow your daily routines without me being here, but I guess that is a mistake on my end. I should have told Kankuro to stay here.", Sasori sighed as he sat back down in his chair. Gaara gave him a dirty look.

"I'm not a child."

"Why didn't you take your medication?" Hinata could feel the tension in the room building and became nervous at how both of the men were glaring intently at each other.

She looked between the two men before hurriedly writing her name on the line on the last page.

_Hinata Hyuuga Uchiha_

She groaned a bit at her mistake and hurriedly scribbled out the last name, making sure to fill in every blank space in the scribble. "I-I'm done." She slid the packet to Gaara, who was still in the glaring contest with the man beside her.

"Why?", Sasori pursued with that glare still on his features. Gaara averted his eyes and pulled the documents to himself, obviously tired of the interrogation.

"I took the pills on Monday, but it didn't put me to sleep. They were useless. I had no choice but to stay up." The bluette shot a concerned look towards him. Could someone really stay up for three days straight?

Sasori gave him an even look. "I made sure that Matsuri backed up some of the paperwork coming in so that you wouldn't stress out and stay up.", he grabbed the bottle off the desk and looked at the back of it. "I don't see how these wouldn't work. It's like fucking sedatives packed in each pill."

Gaara sighed and looked over at the tiny cactus on his desk. "I wasn't tired. It isn't a big deal, Sasori." He moved his hand toward it for a moment before stopping and bringing it back. "The house was too quiet..." Hinata gave a concerned glance to the man.

"Gaara-kun…", she was speechless.

Sasori didn't have anything to say about that; he just stood and grabbed the phone off of the desk and started to dial a number.

She whipped her head to Gaara and looked over him for a minute. At first glance, he looked perfectly fine, but if you looked at him closely you could see that his pale skin was whiter than usual, and his eyes held heavy bags. He looked wild, like he was deprived.

"D-Do you have insomnia, Gaara-kun?" It was a steep question, but he was her friend. It was okay to ask.

He only looked up at her; that answered her question. She quickly stood, pushing back her chair and grabbed his wrist. His pulse was normal, but still…

She slammed her hand on the desk and checked his reaction ; He didn't flinch. He wasn't fully conscious, if that was even something to say.

_I should have seen the signs earlier on._ When she had gone into that church in the middle of the night, he had been there because he was stressed out. Normally people wouldn't go in the middle of the night anyway, so he must have been avoiding sleep.

Gaara pulled his wrist away from her and continued to stare at her, his eyes never blinking.

Sasori spoke silently into the phone. "…he's taking a week off…Pein-sama can do the rest, he wouldn't mind."

Hinata shifted nervously as Gaara stared at her. His face was blank, but his eyes, those eyes…

She felt scared, like she should run. She wanted to look away, but she was stuck in his wicked spell somehow, swimming in the teal abyss of his orbs. The way he was looking at her wasn't natural; she felt threatened.

The office door was opened by Temari as she rushed in. "What is it?"

"Gaara hasn't been taking his medicine." Temari casted her brother a thwarted look.

"Gaara, you k-"

"I couldn't sleep.", is what the CEO stated as he removed his eyes from Hinata's face. "You and Kankuro weren't there, so I couldn't sleep." He sounded like a child at the moment, and Hinata couldn't help but feel her eyes tear up.

Temari bit her lip, a guilt-ridden expression going over her face. That was it, simply put. He couldn't sleep alone.

The blonde looked over towards Sasori soon. "I didn't notice it before. How did you know?"

Sasori shrugged. "He needs to get some sleep. You take him home." Temari nodded and grabbed Gaara's brief case before ushering the sleep-deprived man to come along.

Gaara didn't object to the notion and stood up, but not before giving Hinata one last stare. The girl froze as he gave her his icy stare.

_I'll get you. Just you wait…_

She stayed still until the two were gone from the room, and soon let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding. She hadn't heard of insomnia like this in school; insomnia that changed a person completely. It was unheard of…

She jumped a bit when she felt a hand on her shoulder, but calmed down when she realized that it was only Sasori. "We have time some time to kill before tonight. Wanna hang out with me?", he asked as he looked down at her with a slight smirk.

What was with all of these smirking men? A smile would be nice…

The girl looked back over at the door that the two siblings had exited before looking up at the man. "W-Where will we go?"

Sasori thought for a moment before an idea popped up. "It's almost noon, so…Ichiraku?"

Her eyes went wide. "I-I-Ichiraku?! Ayame-san!"

She had almost forgot…

She needed a job before she got her full job in October.

Hinata grabbed Sasori by his sleeve and started to yank him towards the elevator. "W-We need to get there fast!"

* * *

"No."

"B-But I –"

"No – Welcome to Ichiraku, may I help you si-"

"Ayame-san! P-Please!", Hinata silently yelled as she pulled the ends of her scraf that covered her indigo hair. "I need this job!"

Ayame gave the bluette a light glare before turning back towards the man at the table, who was staring intently at Hinata. "Sorry about that, sir. What would you like?"

Just as the man was about to order, Hinata gave out a light whimper, which startled both Ayame and the man. "I-I'm sorry." The woman glanced over at the bluette and tried to look away, but Hinata's apparent stare on her started to wear her down.

The man sitting at the table squinted his eyes a bit at Hinata, as if trying to find something out of a pile. "You look familiar. Just like someone I know…"

Ayame casted a look towards the man before sighing and dragging the girl by the hand towards the kitchen. "Caso, take over my table!"

"Yes, ma'am!", a young voice yelled.

Hinata was shoved into the room swimming with various smells; she quickly stopped before she ran into a counter that held a pile of meatballs. Didn't need anything weird happening today…

Ayame shoved the door closed and glared at the girl. "No no no, a thousand times, NO!"

Hinata took off her sunglasses and gave the woman a worried look. "Please, I can explain! I-I couldn't com-"

"Because you were in Paris attending the third richest man in the world's Anniversary Party!", Ayame almost yelled, but held it in as the cooks were still in the kitchen. "You told me you were broke!"

"I am b-broke! I-I had to go to Paris!", Hinata defended while giving the woman a pleading look.

The brunette slammed the stack of menus down in frustration. "That's not the point – You're _Hinata_ **freaking** _Uchiha_! You're an icon, a big time celebrity! Don't you think that was an important detail to add to your application?!"

An icon? Hinata hadn't thought of that; most people didn't know who she was before she went to the ball, right?

"I-I did, I just used my maiden name instead.", Hinata pulled off the scarf soon, "I didn't t-think that me being a celebrity mattered."

Ayame folded her arms with a grim look. "Well, it does. Do you know how many girls come to me begging me for work because they can't afford to buy their books, or that they can't afford to pay for their tuition for college this month? Out of all of those girls, I chose you because I thought for sure that you were serious and responsible _and_ I thought that you would stay committed to this job and not slack off by cutting work! And you're Hinata Uchiha?!"

"Hinata Uchiha?", a chorus of voices rung out from the kitchen, which caused Hinata to slowly cover her head with the scarf again.

Ayame gave her a sheepish look before calmly ushering the staff back to work, "Nothing. I didn't say nothing." Looks were still being thrown their way, but eventually the kitchen went back to work.

The brunette sighed a bit. "Why did you even put in an application? You're freaking Hinata Uchiha!"

Hinata was getting annoyed with that last name. "It's Hyuuga, please. I needed the money – "

"Why? I don't get it. Your husband is _Sasuke_ _Uchiha_ and you're an _Heiress. _You're rich, for God's sake.", Ayame pressed, trying to prove her point, but it bounced off of Hinata like a ball.

Hinata looked away for a moment before staring down at her shoes. "On Monday, I won't have a husband, and I'm not an Heiress, ma'am, not anymore." Ayame gave a surprised look at that; Hinata continued. "I was left with nothing, no money, no place to stay, just _nothing._ It was by the grace of God and my friends that I even made it this far. I wanted this job because I wanted to stop depending on other people to help me with every single thing I do. I wanted to prove that I could do something on my own for once.

"So please, just give me another chance, Ayame-san. I just want another chance.", Hinata ended, her eyes stern and her face honest. Usually in these types of situations, she would be crying, but there had to be a point where she stopped crying.

She needed to grow up.

Ayame sighed and leaned on a counter while looking up at the ceiling lights. Hinata's mind eased a bit when she saw the woman look over at her with a thoughtful look. "You're serious about this, aren't you?"

Hinata nodded, her face still the same. Ayame sighed once again.

"I wouldn't have minded you going all out to Paris if you had just only told me the truth about who you really were. Did you not trust me enough to understand your situation?", the woman asked with an even voice full of concern.

No, she wouldn't have trusted Ayame; she didn't trust anyone enough to tell them **that** much.

"I-I'm sorry."

"Sorry just doesn't cut it this time, Hinata. Do you know how dangerous it would have been if I didn't know this information? People from all over come to this restaurant, all of them with different minds. Most people know who you are, despite what you say, and some are obsessed with you. If anyone had given them a word as to where you were, you could have been kidnapped or worse, held up for ransom – just imagine how dangerous it would have been if I had told you to deliver something to a customer! They could have taken advantage of you, maybe even have raped you, all because you didn't tell me who you were!"

It could happen to anyone, but Hinata got her point. "I-I understand."

Ayame nodded and pushed some hair away from her forehead with a quick hand. "It's good that you do, because I'm sure that you understand that I can't let you work here. I had to hire someone to take over your workload." The bluette nodded with a sad smile.

"I understand.", her voice was small, but she managed to get the woman to hear it.

The brunette nodded with a firm look on her face. "Let this be a lesson to you. You have to be honest with others in order to gain their trust, and you must also know that trust is an important factor in the workplace." She soon gave the woman a small smile. "I trusted you enough to hire you, the least you could have done was tell me the truth."

She had messed up again. It seemed that she was making her life more difficult than it already was. She just silently stared at the woman, a sad smile staining her lips. "I'm sorry for causing this trouble, Ayame-san. I should have been honest from the beginning. I-I just didn't think you would understand."

Ayame shook her head. "I would have.", she stated calmly with her smile. "Do you see what happened when you didn't trust me? You lost, probably, your first job. How does that make you feel?"

"Like a f-failure.", Hinata stated honestly while watching a cook take something out of the oven.

The woman raised her eyebrow at the girl before shaking her head again. "No one is a failure. You make mistakes in life; it's a common thing. What you have to do though is learn from them, because even though we aren't perfect, it doesn't hurt to try to be perfect..", she sighed a bit when she looked at the bluette sad smile and huffed.

Her words were encouraging to the girl as well as her confidence, but people just didn't get over their problems in a day, did they? Hinata pulled on the ends of the scraf, making it tighter around her face. "T-Thank you."

"You're welcome." Hinata turned and was about to walk out of the kitchen, but was pulled back by her scarf. Ayame smiled a bit at the girl's reaction. "I wasn't done talking yet." Hinata stepped back a little and stood in front of the woman, a slight expression of confusion in her eyes.

Ayame crossed her arms again and gave the girl an amused expression. "You wanted a job right?" When Hinata nodded, the brunette raised an eyebrow. "No matter what kind it is?"

That didn't sound right. She didn't want to be a stripper or anything, so the former-Hyuuga bit her lip a bit. "A-As long as it isn't inappropriate…"

Ayame soon smiled. "Do you like animals?"

* * *

"You are a little soldier, let me tell you…", Sasori praised the girl as he drove his Mustang Cobra down the busy streets, making sure not to run into any pedestrians, who were weirdly dancing around in traffic. "You are really adamant on this job thing, huh?"

"Y-Yes.", she answered quietly as she eyed the note that Ayame had given her. It read exactly:

_Code:W-w-S_

_Tsume _

_Ayame Ichiraku_

It was frustrating not to know what it meant, but she could hold in her curiosity as long as she got the job.

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe you didn't have to get a job? That maybe you could just ask your _friends_ for money until you have saved up enough to pay them back?", the redhead tried to persist to the bluette only for her to give him an owlish blink and look out the window.

"I-I've asked them for enough already."

"You sure you've asked _all_ of them?", Sasori asked and turned to look at her for a moment before looking back at the traffic.

Hinata slowly turned her head to look at him with narrowed, suspicious eyes. Just what was he getting at? "I'm sure…"

The man just sighed and let it out. "You haven't asked me for anything. I usually am okay with that, but right now I'm just offended."

The bluette raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

He stomped down on the brake, making them both lurch forward a bit, mostly Hinata. He gave her a blank look with dull eyes. "Really."

They both looked forward and watched a few people pass by in front of the car before they took off again, this time with Hinata clinging onto her seatbelt.

"D-Does it matter if I ask you for anything?", she finally asked after her heart went back to a steady beat.

"It does actually. It is only common that friends have things that they either borrow or just kept of another friend – but that is only my opinion.", he said. Hinata finally smiled.

"Would it make you feel better if I just asked you for something?"

"Now you get it."

Hinata sat back in her seat started to think. Just what did she want? She didn't really need anything; A job, yes, but what else? She decided to stare around his car until her orbs connected to the long necklace hanging from his rear-view mirror; it was a plain silver dog-tag.

That seemed fair enough. The bluette raised up and was about to grab the thing, but was stopped by Sasori's hand. "What are you doing?", he asked with a surprisingly high voice.

"You told me to g-get something from you.", Hinata stated as she watched his hand on her wrist.

"I said to ask me first, not just take it.", he spat out much to the girl's surprise. She dropped her hand soon and looked down at her lap. He sighed and released her wrist before pulling over in front of the pet shop.

Sasori only gave her a long look before exiting his vehicle, making sure to hurry inside before anyone spotted him. Hinata stayed silent for a minute, waiting for him to enter the shop.

Once his red hair was out of view, a small grin crossed her lips and she looked back at the silver charm that was hanging. "I'll just borrow it." She took the long necklace off of the mirror and pulled it over her head before getting out of the car and making her way to the pet shop.

Hinata quickly rushed inside, mentally cursing herself for forgetting her scarf, and opened the door to the building.

When she opened the door, a light jingle from the bells above the door rung in her ears. What came next after that sound were multiple ones; a loud _squak_ from the corner was heard on the counter where a miniature dog stood, several barks from another part of the store, and suprsingly, a loud lulling sound from the middle.

The wonderful world of animals.

"Irashaimase!", a feminine voice yelled from a place in the store. Hinata guessed that it was the door behind the counter, so she decided to wait until the woman emerged from the back.

The bluette looked around a bit before realizing that Sasori was here as well.

She sighed and started searching for him.

But she froze when she saw a large white blob come out of nowhere from the corner of her eye.

The girl didn't have time to move before she heard the patting of feet/paws on the ground; she screamed as she was shoved to the floor by the white blob.

Since when did pet shops harbor bears?

She looked up at the blob and was, unprettily, licked in the face by a drooling tongue. Her chest eased with each lick she received from the white beast, and soon she became ticklish at the constant action. The girl giggled when a cold nose nuzzled her in the face. "S-Stop it, p-please." Her words only managed to increase the action, and quickly her light giggles turned into full-blown laughter. "P-Please, s-stop doggy", she tried to say, but only streams of laughter and giberish came out.

"Hinata, I think I – Oh.", she didn't have to look up to see that it was Sasori; she was already busy in this situation. "Shame on you, Hinata. Don't do it doggy – she's still a virgin."

She ignored that last comment, still too wrapped up in laughing.

The opening of the door behind the counter went through the room, and a young woman emerged from it. "Sorry about that! I – AKAMARU , not again!" The woman ran over and pulled on the dog's collar hard, making the dog back off of the bluette.

"I'm sorry ab-", the woman paused in her sentence when she saw the woman on the floor, and unknowingly released the collar, making the dog pounce back on top of Hinata. "Oh, sorry – I just, you know, um…sorry!", the woman left as quick as she had come, right back into the door behind the counter.

"Hm, wonder what her problem was..", Sasori muttered idly from where he stood.

"M-My stomach is h-hurting!", Hinata choked out, her laughing fit starting to turn disasterous as now her stomach was twisting in knots from her laughter. "H-Help me!"

"You look fine to me.", Sasori snorted. "You look like you're having fun - especially with my dog-tag, you thief."

The door to the back opened again, and out came another woman, who, from Hinata's spot on the floor, had a bossy personality; her stomping told it all.

"Akamaru, get off of her before I send you to the back!" The dog whimpered a bit, and with one last lick he backed off of the girl and trotted beside the woman. Hinata sat up and wiped her face with her jacket a bit before a hand was put in her view. She stared at it a little, in a slight daze due to how long the woman's finger nails were.

"Well don't just sit there – Grab my hand!", the woman barked towards her; Hinata quickly grabbed her hand and was joisted up quickly. This woman was strong…

"Sorry about Akamaru. He always jumps on the pretty customers. Gets that trick from my son.", the woman soon gave her a wolfish grin. "How can I help you two?"

The woman's hair was a wild brown and her marking on her face made her look familiar to the girl. She couldn't seem to put a finger on where she had seen those markings before. Hinata realized she was dazing again and quickly handed the woman the note.

"I-I'm here to ask for a job, ma'am.", Hinata asked with a higher voice then before; she wanted to make a good impression.

"Call me Tsume.", the woman said before she read the note; Hinata gave a wary look at how another wolfish grin broke out on the woman's face. "Ayame brought me a worker with secrets, eh?"

So that's what the note meant. Wow.

"She has a lot of secrets. A **lot**." Hinata glared back at Sasori, who turned away and walked down an aisle.

Tsume stood up straighter and stuffed the note in her pocket before folding her arms, that grin still on her face. "You're in luck, lady. I just so happen to need a worker right now to help my daughter Hana out. I _would_ hire you, but you have some secrets that I need to know of, right?"

Hinata thought for a moment before shyly nodding. She was not going to screw this up. Hopefully this wasn't a fan of hers.

The woman cocked her head to the side, waiting.

No, she wasn't a fan. She would have realized who she was by now. The indigo hair was the one thing she was known for. Hopefully.

The bluette let out a light breath before spilling out the truth. "M-My name is Hinata Hy – I mean Uchiha, but after Monday it will just be Hyuuga. I am the Heiress – well – former Heiress of the Hyuuga Clan; my cousin is the new Heir now.", she paused for a second and tried to gather her thoughts together. "I am married to Sasuke Uchiha, but , you know, I'll be divorced after Monday comes…Soon I'll be a spokes model for Sabaku Corporation, but until then I need a job. M-Modeling until that time won't be enough, well..it probably will, b-but I just want to do something on my own for once – but that's not to say that I won't be still here when I start modeling! I'll still be here! Um…oh, right now I'm s-staying at a friend's house and I have another person staying with me! I just want to pitch in and help out my friend also because she is nice enough to let my friend stay there with me until…whenever…Oh, I have a little sister too, her name is Hanabi! I…I think that is all of my secrets..", Hinata finished awkwardly and looked at the woman to see that her face was twisted in a thoughtful expression.

Tsume twisted her lip a bit while looking up at the ceiling, that thoughtful expression still on her face. After a good while, she spoke. "So, you're, like, a celebrity?", the woman asked carefully.

Hinata sighed a bit before nodding slowly. "I-I am, a little."

"Oh…", the woman took a closer look at the girl's face. "And you're…?"

"Hinata! Hinata Hyuuga Uchiha, but –"

"Monday you'll be divorced, I know.", Tsume finished. "Who's Sasuke Uchiha?"

Hinata felt her mind go blank for a moment before it registered what Tsume had said. So this woman was the type that didn't look at television unless it was about something important…

Wow.

The bluette came back to reality when a loud laugh came from the woman. "Sorry if I bruised your ego a bit! I'm just not into all of that rich people crap! You are who you are! I'm glad that you were honest with me, though! Most jokers out here keep important stuff like that to themselves. Kuros to you!", Tsume laughed out.

"I thought it was kudos?", Sasori whispered from around a shelf, where little hamseters situated, each running around due to the man being close.

Hinata gave the woman a hopeful look. "D-Does this mean I have the job?"

The woman stopped her laughing and gave a smile. "You had the job from the beginning. Whenever Ayame recommends someone, I know that I have a diamond in the rough on my hands. Even if you didn't tell me your secrets, I would have still hired you. My daughter needs some help around here with all of these animals – the veterinarian clinic in the back has her hands full!"

The bluette felt like jumping for joy, but instead grabbed the woman's hands. "Thank you so much! You don't know how happy I am!"

Tsume gave her another smile. "You're welcome, though I doubt that you'll be saying that later!"

Hinata stopped her happy rant and gave off a jumbled look. "W-What was that, Tsume-san?"

"Nothing dear – Hana, get out here and give this girl her uniform and schedule! Mama needs to drop the kids off at the pool!"

"You have other kids?", Hinata quietly asked.

The woman laughed again and shook her head as she walked towards the back. "You're a natural, kid!"

Hinata watched after the woman, a clueless expression on her face. "D-Did I say something funny?"

Sasori silently appeared beside her, a dull look on his face. "She's needs to take a dump."

The bluette looked over at the man, a bit startled at how quietly he came over. "S-Sasori, why did – why is that cat on your shoulder?" A bright orange tabby was perched on the man's shoulders, vividly contrasting with his dark suit.

The redhead looked over at the cat before looking at the girl. "This is what I was trying to tell you before – I think I'm in love." The cat silently purred, and rubbed its head into the redhead's thick mass of hair.

"W-With the cat?", Hinata eyed the tabby closely and moved back. She had heard that cats had good agility…

Sasori patted the fat feline a bit. "Yup, instant chemistry. When I looked into her brown eyes, I saw my other half."

"Are you even sure she's a 'she'?" The former-Hyuuga asked suddenly.

Sasori sighed and pulled the cat off his shoulder by the gristle on 'her' neck. "Darleen is a 'she'. I'm sure that if she could talk, she would say - she's a man.", he gave a repulsed expression at the sight of the cat's privates. "Well, this complicates things. I guess 'Darleen' is a 'Daryl'. Why did you lie to me, Daryl?" He pulled the cat towards his face. "I would have still loved you if you had told me the true. We belong together, you orange, fluffy, overweight ball of cuteness."

Hinata smiled at the scene. "T-That got weird towards the last part." Sasori sighed and held the cat in his arms.

"I now realize that.", he looked back down at the feline with a thoughtful look before raising him in the air. "Your name will be…Saon. Sounds better than Daryl."

The door to the back opened again, and out came the young woman from before. She looked nervous and kept her stare down as she made her way over with the uniform in her hand.

She stopped in front of the bluette and handed her the clothes. "The nametag will probably be done tomorrow when you come in. I put the schedule in the pocket, so you don't have to worry about that."

"She looks familiar.", Sasori stated, which caused the woman to snap her gaze towards him. "Do I know you from somewhere?"

The woman shook her head. "Me? Oh no, sir, you don't know me! Seriously. You don't.", she tried to sound convincing.

Hinata gave a suspicious glance at the woman's behavior. Why was she nervous?

Sasori snapped his fingers. "I know now. " The woman looked panicked. "That guy from the grocery store yesterday. You look exactly like him."

The bluette nodded, also realizing now. "Kiba-san. I remember, t-too." She looked back at the woman, who was easing her expression. "D-Do you know anyone named Kiba?"

"He's my brother, actually…"

Hinata gave the woman a smile. "You both almost look like twins. I-It's cute. So you must be Hana?"

Hana nodded and sheepishly rubbed her head. "Yeah, that's me. And you're Hinata Uchiha." One person here noticed her…

"S-So I work when?"

"Oh…tomorrow at five a.m. Sorry, I have a couple of appointments to tend to in the morning and I'll need someone to do the routine for me."

Hinata nodded. "That's okay. I d-don't mind. I'm just glad to be h-helping."

Hana smiled a bit. "Yeah, so that's it. Thank you so much for pitching in for me, I really appreciate it."

"Thank you.", Hinata greeted back. The young woman looked over towards Sasori and her smile dropped when she saw how he bored his hazel eyes into her, squinting at her. "Can I help you sir?"

He held up the fat tabby in her view. "Saon's ready to see his new kingdom."

* * *

"I don't mean to act all snotty – you know what, scratch that – I do mean to act all snotty when I say that it is weird that that 'Hana' girl didn't go crazy when she saw me.", Sasori said as he carried the traveler that Saon was lying in.

Hinata rolled her eyes at him. "T-That's your overly-exaggerated ego talking…"

"I'm serious. Don't you think it was a little weird that she didn't get star-struck? She knew who you were, yet she didn't look surprised."

The bluette stopped beside the passenger door and waited for Sasori to unlock the car. "M-Maybe she thinks of everyone as a person and not some famous l-looney. It's a rare quality that l-lacks in society nowadays." The truth.

The both got into the car and Hinata made sure to put her clothes in the back. Only for Sasori to shove the carrier on her lap.

"It wasn't that look, at least _I_ think so. It was like she was used to celebrities walking in and out of their shop. Even the most down to earth person wouldn't have kept their cool like that. I think that she knows someone who is famous, or is at least close to a famous person.", Sasori expressed his thoughts as he started up the car.

Hinata looked at the car clock and saw that it was only five o'clock. Still some time to kill.

The redhead looked over at her. "Where do you want to go now?" She pulled her hand back as the cat's paw came out to claw at her hand.

Where to now? She thought for a moment before a brilliant idea came to her mind.

"D-Deidara is your best friend right?"

Sasori cocked his head a little. "You can say that. Why?"

Hinata gave him a small smile. "How about I introduce you to my best friend?"

It was a request that made Sasori smirk.

"Why the hell not? I like meeting new people."

* * *

**I have made several errors in this chapter; hopefully I can correct them later on today! ;) In this fic right now, It's July! ;) Hmmm...let's see.**

**coffeshot, you caught on to my plan...you're sneaky. Unfortunately, I can't answer that question yet; it'll ruin the surprise...**

**Sorry that I couldn't put Tenten in this chapter; it was too long already to fit it in. Hey, at least you got Neji! I bet you all are wondering about him and his deal with Tenny..you'll find out soon...**

**Oh, I'm pretty sure you'll all be seeing Sasuke in the next chapter, so be on the look out for that.**

**Sorry once again for the late update! Unfortunately, the next chapter may have the speed of this one! I'm super busy peeps and I thought I was having a writers block; turns out all I had to do was sit in front of the laptop and find out that I _didn't_ have writer's block. That was a weird experience for me.**

**This fic really does write itself...creepy 0.0**

**OAN: What Hinata is going through right now is the 'trust' phase. It takes time to gain one's trust, and she is having a hard time doing that. It's very common with women all around. I hope you all can see that! ^_^**

**Anyway, thank you all for your reviews, messages, and continued support in this story! 1,000+ reviews? You guys are amazing, and know that you all inspire me to become a better writer. I don't plan on dropping this story, so don't any of you worry! I'll keep typing - unless I break a finger, I'll have to stop then, won't I.**

**God Bless you all! I hope I brightened someone's day today! :)**


	26. Chapter 25: Spirit

**Author's Note:**

Whew! Finally finished! ;) It's 3:57 and I'm posting a new chapter...Yay!

I'm so sorry for making you all wait - it literally took me about four days to write this. This is the longest chapter I've ever done! I pray you all enjoy it! I took so much time and so much planning that it almost made me go insane! But I just had to get it done; you all deserve this chapter anyway!

I hope you all had a good week! Mine was...surprising. Found out alot about my friends that I didn't know about 0.0 Very, very surprising...

Anyway, school will be starting in a week and my updates will, most likely, me slow, but only because of me getting ready for school! Once school starts, chapters will come once a week, probably on Fridays, so that will be something you all can enjoy. :)

This chapter is a bit...serious, I think. Alot of emphatic writing I guess, so you all will have to really read it and get into it to know what is going on. One of my new reviewers said that he/she payed attention to each and every chapter, because they knew that it would count in the future! ^_^**Akumakisses...**you are a wise one. Everyone, please make sure you pay attention to every little detail - it counts toward future chapters...

**Enjoy.**

* * *

**_Chapter 25: Spirit_**

**"Aura," he whispered, "I wish I could wipe away just one of your tears. Then I'd**  
**feel like a person again. Like I'm something more than a bunch of light." **  
_― Jeri Smith-Ready, Shade_

"She did WHAT?!", Tenten angrily bellowed into her cellphone while she sat on the floor in the tiny front room, battling Tenji in Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe. She groaned soon when her son's character started to win, but maintained her cursing.

"_I was just as shocked as you were when I heard! Oh dear, when Kanna-san came in and said that Eri-san was fired, I almost went to the floor! She is, well I _thought_ she was a nice, decent young lady but I guess she was just a whore in maid's clothing."_, an old maid sounded out through the cell, mortification in her voice.

The brunette's blood was boiling by the minute. "I let that bum – cover your ears sweetie – BITCH come into my house for fucking free and she has the fucking audacity to try and sleep with my husband?! What kind of shit is that?! Huh?!", Tenten seethed angrily as she gripped the controller tightly while at the same time trying to win the game. It seemed that you couldn't be nice to anyone these days…

"_The kind of …shit – oh dear - that reminds us that we have trolls lurking around. Speaking of trolls, did you know that that woman that Neji-sama has impregnated has moved in – "_

"WHAT THE FUCK! What did you just say?!", Tenten yelled again, dropping the joystick altogether and giving an incredulous look. Tenji started to giggle at his mother's distress, thinking that his winning was the cause.

"_Yes, she did! She has her own room and everything, but she doesn't have the guts to come out of it until either early in the morning or late at night. She been staying there for about a week now, and the only time me and the others see her is when she is leaving or when she is going into her room. I specifically told Neji-sama that I was NOT going to go and clean a mistress's room! I am beyond such trash as that!"_

Tenten stood up slowly, her frown deepening each step she took towards the kitchen. Tenji sighed and bounded back onto the couch awaiting for his mother to start cooking, a giggle making its way out of his mouth when the couch sunk in from his impact.

The mother opened the refrigerator, her phone still to her ear as she grabbed out several items. "Has she been in my room? I'm pretty sure you would know, right?", though her voice was calm, she was about to explode on the inside. Screw waiting for a chance to 'talk' to him; she would march up the steps to her house and choke him out.

She had almost attempted to do it before, but of course the law got put in her way. Shame…

"_That is what I was expecting when she came in, but surprisingly the little tramp has stayed put in her room as well as Neji-sama – Oh, let me tell you about what happened on Wednesday though! Some rude young woman came over demanding to see her!"_

Tenten frowned a bit in confusion as she started to open some cheese. "Young woman?"

"_Yes ma'am, she is, apparently, the mistress's sister – anyhow, she came in demanding to see the woman, acting like she was the Queen of England or something. Ou-san let her in soon and she just started to go off on the woman for no reason! I was in shock at some of the vulgarities that were spurring from the young'uns mouth. I had almost ordered one of the guards to throw the woman out, but the mistress started to talk about 'not having the money' and things like that."_

"Money? Sounds like someone's being a leech.", the brunette mused. "Just who is her sister? I didn't even know the chick had a sister."

A small silence occurred before the old woman spoke again. _"I think Tanuya? – what did you say, Maka? – Oh, her name was Tayuya! Tayuya."_, the woman confirmed, which made Tenten's eyebrow go up.

She sighed and rolled her eyes. Of course, Tayuya. Tenten remembered the girl; who wouldn't remember the first person that had fought in middle school?

"Such a small world we live in. That girl is bad news; make sure she doesn't step foot on those steps ever again.", the woman ordered as she poured the cheese into a bowl.

"_Will do, ma'am. If I may ask, when are you coming back home? The whole mansion is in disasters without you, dear! I hope that you are not letting Neji-sama keep y-"_

Tenten gave out a laugh. "Oh, trust me, that little fucker – excuse me, Tenji – is NOT keeping me from my house. I just don't want him calling the law on me again. He's such a bitch." Because of him, this was her first strike, her first. That meant that she only had two more strikes left, which left her with limited options…

"_It is a good thing that that little situation didn't make it to media's attention. It would be difficult to be dealing with the situation and the reactions to the public.. Tenji-sama is with you? _" Tenten bit her lip a bit; she shouldn't have been so careless throwing the boy's name out. You couldn't trust anyone these days _not_ to tell…

"Um, y-yeah he is. Anyway, I'm not ready to go back yet. As a matter of fact, I'm not going back; I'll just have someone get my things when I get my condo. Can you believe the stupid bastard has still being adding money onto my account? Talk about guilt-driven." She had, of course, made sure to check her account once she got out of jail and discovered the miracle. Surprising.

"_Yeah, he's guilty. I cannot believe that he cheated! Adultery, such a sin! He looked to be so in love with you. I tried to think that it may have been a mistake, but then again it could have just been what he wanted to do. Uh, maybe that disgraceful Uchiha man has been getting to him. I still cannot believe it! Neji-sama was such a good man. I don't know what to think of him, now. All I know is that if you do not change your mind in coming back, I will leave this job." _

"Don't do that, Shi. You worked hard to get to that Head Maid job.", Tenten stated, a little softness in her voice.

"_It doesn't matter! I would rather go back to the lower branch and live a poor life than work for such indecency. I have more dignity than that young coot will ever have. If Hizashi-san was alive to see this, I'm pretty sure he would have scolded the boy! He would be ashamed!" _

She agreed. If Hizashi was still alive, she was pretty sure that she wouldn't be the only one swinging bats around; from what Neji had told her about him, he was a very, very strict and noble man. Adultery to him was like poison to a person.

Tenten watched the cheese in the bowl for a minute, debating on whether or not she should cook it. Tenji was prone to getting constipation with such food; she sighed and began to pour the liquid into the garbage bin. Pizza it was then…

"Do you know where Eri is staying at now? I think I'll need to pay the little slut a 'visit'. You know, since I can't do anything to the other woman since she's 'with child' – "

_Knock!_

_Knock!_

_Knock!_

The brunette quickly looked towards the door before looking at Tenji, who nodded and ran to the back where Lee's bedroom was. "I gotta go! Talk to you later, Shi.", Tenten whispered and soon hung up the phone while looking at the door in suspicion.

Normally, Lee would open the door with his key, so he was not at the door. People just didn't come and knock on someone's door in a neighborhood like this; that was like asking for a death wish. Also having someone break in next door was _not_ helping Tenten right now. She sighed when another knock sounded on the door and began to undo her buns on her head while walking towards the door, making sure to mask who she really was.

She suddenly stopped when another soft knock was made on the rutty door. _Wait a minute…_ She only knew one person who made such soft knocks. It was like a code; she just _knew_ who it was._ It can't be… _She hurriedly made her way to the door and looked out of the peephole. A head full of indigo was what she saw, and with insane speed she unlocked the door to reveal the grinning young woman.

"No freaking way!", Tenten exclaimed as she reached out and grabbed the girl tightly while feeling her arms wrap around her as well. "Oh my God, look at you! Look at those freaking hips – that chest! What cups size is that? 38C?!", the brunette held the girl at arm's length as she looked over her body, much to Hinata's embarrassment.

"Actually it's t-thirty-nine.", Hinata stated quickly, a blush on her face as she smiled up at the woman. "I m-missed you! It's been awhile since you called me."

The brunette sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck. "Yeah, sorry about that. I've just been so busy with the Neji-thing and other stuff…" She saw how the girl's bright eyes dimmed a bit and quickly changed the subject. "Anyway, why don't you come in so that we can talk!"

A smile returned to Hinata's face when she said that. "I've g-got a better idea. Are you doing anything right now?" Tenten felt a slight shiver go up her spine when she saw the girl scan around the living room and stop on the backpack on the ground next to the game system. "I-Is Lee here?"

She didn't know what to say to that. Maybe? "Maybe? Depends on your thoughts?", Tenten answered, a slightly nervous smile on her face due to Hinata's blank face. That was a new expression…

"Y-You kidnapped T-Tenji?!", the bluette asked with a bewilderment expression as she pushed past Tenten into the house, looking around for the boy. "Oh, Tenten! W-Why would you do that?! You're not supposed – "

A small figure flew through the front room towards the pair and soon, onto the blabbering girl.

"HINA-CHAN! IT'S YOU!", Tenji squealed as he latched onto said girl's legs. "YAY, HINA-CHAN'S HERE! H – mhhm!" Hinata covered the boy's mouth with her hand; she didn't need people to know she was here. Ayame and her 'crazy people' talk still stuck with her.

Hinata snapped her head up towards Tenten and gave her an owlish look, which startled the brunette a bit. Tenten was getting a little surprised at all of these new expressions. Since when did Hinata get the 'owlish' stare down?

Before Hinata could say anything, Tenten cut her off. "It's a long story. All you need to know right now is that he's here and that I didn't kidnap him. Yet. Eventually I will though – No, I'm not really doing anything. I was going wait for Lee to get back home, but you know the hospital; you never know when you're gonna get home."

"_'Going'_.", Tenji corrected his mother.

Tenten nodded. "What he said. So, what's up?"

Once again, a smile came onto the girl's face as she bent down and picked up the six-year old. "I wanted to introduce you to someone and maybe go out if you want- "

"Let me go change! – Tenji, go put on your shoes.", Tenten quickly rushed into the back. Hinata shook her head with a light smile.

Tenji wiggled out of her arms before running into the living room and slipping on his shoes and looking towards her. "Can we go to McDonald's?! I want McDonald's!"

"No McDonald's! You're going to eat real food today like a big boy!", the brunette yelled from the back.

Tenji pouted a bit, but started to tie his shoe. "Please! Please!"

Tenten slid from the room soon, clad in jeans and a tank top with her buns back atop her head. "Let's go!" With that, she grabbed the boy's hand and pushed the bluette out of the house before locking it. "You know, this is actually the first time since…I've...", her voice went out when she looked at the car parked out front.

Tenji squealed once again. "Kitty!" He quickly let go of his mother's hand and rushed towards the car, where a ginger stood holding a fat orange cat, a small smile on his face.

Tenten squinted her eyes a bit to see if what she _thought_ was really what she _saw_. She looked over towards her bestie and saw that wide grin on her lips. She then slid her eyes back over towards the ginger, who was looking down at her son and slowly giving him the fat tabby.

"T-This is who I wanted to introduce you to.", the meek girl spoke with a chipper voice as she turned towards the direction of the car. "C'mon!" Hinata had to literally pull the woman with her towards the vehicle while looking both ways for anyone on the street.

The bluette didn't know why, but she started to feel weird vibes coming from the woman. It was as if she was…threatened? She looked at the woman and saw that she had a dull look on her face as she stared at Sasori, who was still smiling down at the child.

With one last yank, the girl managed to pull Tenten next to her on the curb in front of the man.

She wrapped an arm around the woman's waist as she began to introduce her. "S-Sasori, this is my best friend, Tenten – Tenten, this is Sasori, um…well, m-my other friend."

Unbeknownst to the bluette, Tenten was slightly analyzing the man before her. She looked at him, head to toe; from his messy red hair to his shoes.

…_Cute…Very Cute_

She squinted her eyes when he gave her a small smirk and held out his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Tenten-san.", he spoke, his voice smooth and mischievous. _Hmm…_

She stared at his hand for a moment before shaking it, her eyes still narrowed as she stared at him. "It's Tenten. No formalities.", she spoke in a gruff voice. Sasori tensed a bit when her grip started to become a little painful, and slid his hazel eyes up to meet her brown eyes.

A quick shock of electricity sparked from hers, which made Sasori raise a red brow.

Hinata smiled at the two, happy to have two of her friends with her. "Oh, that's Tenji.", she ushered towards the boy, who was snuggling his face in the cat's fur.

"Nice to meet you, Sasori-kun!", he answered and snuggled his face deeper into the cat, making it purr a bit.

Hinata happily clapped with excitement, making her hair bounce and sway. "T-This is going to be so fun! Come on, get in the car!" With that, she made her way to the vehicle and leaned back the seat to let the little boy in while Tenten stayed on the curb with the redhead, stuck in a staring contest.

Tenten glared.

Sasori blinked.

She smirked.

He backed away.

First Impression of Sasori…_He's an idiot._

* * *

"…we went to Sarutobi Private's Study Hall to retrieve her, but she was not there. We asked the Professors of her classes as well as a few classmates where she could have gone, but we were not successful in retrieving any type of information on her whereabouts."

Hiashi watched with tedium as his tea was poured into his cup from one of the members of the kitchen staff as he listened to the guard's concession. "So it is a possibility that my daughter may be gone? Or are you trying to say that she, once again, told me a lie as to where she spends her free time?"

The guard, Ko, stiffened a bit at the cold glare he was given by the Hyuuga Head. "N-No sir, I'm sure that she could be coming in any minute now! It's just that she wasn't where she reported she would be! I just wanted to bring it to you attention – "

"I do not wish to know where my daughter spends her free time. It is not my concern. It is your responsibility to be with her at all times, yet here you are, before me, blabbering about not knowing where she is when your _job_ is to watch her _every_ movement.", Hiashi spoke and soon brought the teacup to his lips before sipping.

Ko got down and bowed before the man, his face being covered by his hair. "Yes sir. I apologize for bothering you with such matters, but I must explain to you that it was Hanabi-sama who ordered me _not_ to escort her anymore-."

A loud opening and slamming of the doors in the distance of the mansion caused Ko to stop his apology. He looked up at the man sitting in the chair and saw him sigh and set down his teacup once again.

"Go and retrieve Hanabi for me.", he stated as he leaned against the arm of the chair, his long hair falling slightly over his shoulder.

"Yes, sir." Ko bowed once again before leaving out of the large room. Hiashi sighed once again before grabbing a piece of paper from the table and scanning it with his white eyes, trying to see if there may be misprint of some sort.

It had been a busy day. The sun was setting, making the sky a deep purple, which darkened the room a bit. He noticed this and immediately clapped; soon, the lights popped on, filling the room with the soft light coming from the beige lamps on the wall.

The light also brought out the smiling face of the woman in the picture, which was hanging off the wall. He let his eyes slid over to the picture and kept it there.

Her smile was small, shy almost as she stared at the camera, her indigo locks thrown over her shoulders and her eyes squinting through her thick lashes. The epitome of beauty, perfection, and love.

As he stared at the picture, he could feel an overwhelming surge of grief hit his chest, so much that he had to look away and turn back at the paper in his hands. His heart became heavy, his breath got stuck in his throat and he could feel some perspiration on the side of his forehead. That was how powerful his grief was. He could feel his whole body ache with it, but he could only push it back.

For this was his punishment.

But he could not stop his eyes from sliding back over to the large picture on the wall. He could only stare as the woman stared back at him, that smile still gracing her lips. He had felt it, he could feel her here. Her presence was like the gentle breeze of the wind, the silent ruffle of the flowers in the garden, the scent of midnight lavender. That was how her presence always was like when she would come to 'visit' him. He could not tell whether it was her or just an hallucination that he was having when he felt that presence.

He could feel her, right now, sitting at the table right next to him like she had always done, staring at him with sadness, hurt, _pain_, but nevertheless love was there. Love for him.

He could remember that fatal day, that horrible, horrible day when she was gone how he had sat at this very table, thinking of her, praying to God to give him a miracle and bring her back. He could remember feeling wetness upon his cheeks as he silently cried to himself. That day, he couldn't remember what he was crying for; was it for her or was it for the guilt that was weighing down on his heart?

When he questioned himself that day, he stopped and felt a shiver go through his body as he felt that presence, as he felt her beside him. Her presence reminded him of the times that he betrayed her, the times where he heard her cry in the middle of the night, the times that she stood up for him and stood by his side despite her pain.

It reminded him of the love that she had for him.

The day that her presence had first appeared he had called out to her, screamed out her name, yet she said nothing. He tried to catch the presence, but it engulfed him entirely as if she was hugging him, telling him goodbye. That's when he begged her to stay, for her not to leave him to live a life like this. When he had said that, she materialized in front of him, slightly scaring him but also making him smile through his tantrum of tears. That long, indigo hair ran down her back, and those lips curved into a smile right in front of him; she had glowed before him, like an angel. He could remember his heart warming at seeing her, telling himself that her leaving this world had been a lie, that she was here, right before him, willing to give him a second chance.

But before he could step towards her, he saw a pair of feathery, white wings sprout from her back. That's when he knew she was gone…

She had looked back at him, a pained but happy look in her eyes and a smile on her lips. He could barely hear her say goodbye before he tried to grab for her, to bring her back, but she slipped right from his fingers. That's when he called her name again, screamed her name as loud as he could, which caused all of the people in the mansion to become startled and go to his aid.

He had screamed towards her fading figure to stay with him. He had apologized then, he had confessed to what he done to her. He started to tell her about all of the women he had been with, all of the lies he had told her, all of the bad things he had done to other clans.

But he only got a sad smile from her as she deteriorated, her angelic glow leaving the room as the Hyuuga members ran into the room and went towards him…

Hiashi silently fingered the cup's rim as he allowed himself to smell the scent of the variety of flowers and feel the cool breeze on his skin as she settled down, letting her presence fill the room. That was all he had. Even if it was really a hallucination, it helped keep him, to some extent, sane. He couldn't live without her, which was why she was here…

"Welcome home.", he muttered to the empty chair beside him, the one where she used to sit. In return, silence greeted him. He let a sad smirk come to his lips as he looked down at the gold-trimmed teacup. "I love you…", he whispered as he closed his eyes and picture her smiling face.

_I know…_

The door opened and Hiashi sighed before looking up, expecting to see his young daughter marching through.

Instead he saw Neji walk through, his ear covered with a patch , but that wasn't what caught Hiashi's attention.

What had caught his attention was that feral look in the man's eyes as he sat down at the foot of the table, back stiff and eyes hard.

Immediately, the presence left, leaving in her trace the smell of lavender.

Hiashi moved some of his hair over his shoulder before folding his arms and looking towards the boy at the other end of the table. "What happened to your ear?", he asked with a voice void of emotion.

Neji didn't answer; he only glared.

The older Hyuuga leaned back in his seat and bore an amused expression at the man's silence. "Is there something wrong, son?"

"Do not call me that.", Neji answered back, his voice deadly, and much to Hiashi's surprise, strained. It was as if the man couldn't speak, like something _really_ was wrong.

So Hiashi sat back once again and waited; eventually whatever the man needed to say he would.

He watched as Neji sat his elbow on the table while he clutched the bridge of his nose, eyes closed but face still twisted in a frown. A pregnant silence engulfed the room, making the tenseness in the room go sky high.

A servant came in and started to refill the teacup on the table before she scurried away, also feeling the change in atmosphere.

Neji watched the steam rise from the cup at his side before sitting up straight and closing his eyes once again. He was meditating, trying to catch himself obviously, though from Hiashi's point of view, he was being his normal self.

"What is the duty of the branch house?", is what the young man soon asked as he shot his vile glare towards the man before him.

Hiashi glanced up before turning his attention to his tea, marveling at the amount of steam coming from the cup. "The duty of the branch house is to protect the Main branch, no matter the circumstance.", he answered the question as if it had been asked many times before.

"Even if it means…death."

Hiashi nodded at his statement. "Yes."

He watched as Neji looked away from him for a moment, a thoughtful gaze in his eyes before he turned his gaze back to him. "My father…"

Hiashi's whole body stilled.

Neji didn't notice; his gaze dropped to his tea at his side. "My father…he was killed for you."

"Who told you that?", Hiashi ordered sternly, his fingers tight around his cup.

The young man looked up, ignoring his question. "You say that the fate of the lower branch is to protect and serve the Main House, so why do you feel guilty?"

The older man slammed his teacup to the table, making the hot liquid spill from the cup. "Who told you?! Who did it?!" He was angry, his voice was bitter.

"You should not feel guilty if it was his fate, but you are, which tells me that there is more to this.", Neji stated with an emotionless tone as he stared at the frowning man ahead of him. "Do you feel guilty because he was your brother?"

Hiashi stayed quiet and decided to just glare and listen. There was nothing more he could do.

"Or do you feel guilty that you left a boy without a father?" That had stung the man's heart, but he continued to listen as Neji talked.

The younger Hyuuga shook his head slightly. "No, it could not be the second one. Many have been killed before my father, most of them with sons and daughters. You only feel guilty that it was your brother who sacrificed his life for you.", he paused for a minute. "My father protected you and he served you, a very honorable duty of the branch house, yet in return for his deeds he gains lies about his death. If what he did was honorable, why did you not tell me before hand of this?"

"What do you mean?", Hiashi asked, his hands folded under his chin.

"If serving and protecting the Main House is honorable and right, why did you lie to me about his death? Many of the children growing up in the branch village were told if their parents died in duty, but I only received the notion that my father was dead, killed in an accident. The others could swell with pride of their parent's honor while I could only look on at them. So I will ask in a different way this time; is serving and protecting the Main House _really_ the fate of the people that are in the lower branch?"

Hiashi couldn't answer that; to others, yes, but to him…he didn't know. He had been taught since he was born that the Main House ran the Hyuuga Clan while the lower branch protected and served the Main House. That was all he had knew, yet when he looked into the young man's eyes before him, he questioned whether or not it _was_ right.

"For thirteen years I've despised Hinata-sama because I thought she had everything that I wanted. She had a father and she was a part of the Main House. That's what I wanted.", Neji spoke quietly as he bore a blank look.

Hiashi straightened up in his chair as he heard this. "Son, I-"

"I'm not your son.", Neji stated harshly as he looked up. "I'm your nephew."

The Hyuuga Head was taken aback by that.

Neji looked away from him, trying to calm down. "You made me apart of the Main House and gave me the title as Heir of the Hyuuga Clan because you felt responsible for the death of my father, not because of my business acumen. You call me 'son' because you want me to feel like I have a family.", he then looked back up. "But what about all of the other branch members? What do they get in return for their loss? Are they not apart of this 'family' that you've made up? We are all Hyuuga, so should that not mean that this clan is a family in other words?"

"We are all family.", Hiashi stated and took a sip of his tea.

"Then why are we two families? Why is there a Main family and a Branch family?"

Hiashi sighed and set down the cup once again. "I believe I've answered that question before, so I will not answer it again."

Neji grew quiet soon, his mouth in a tight line and his eyes scanning the room. It was hard to look at the man before him, especially when he shared the face his father had.

"He had wanted to go in my place.", Neji snapped his gaze back on him as he started to talk again. "I had objected, but he had demanded that he go, that he choose his own destiny.

"He knew the risks, but he still wanted to go. He had hated the Main family, but would have done anything to protect us. He wanted me to tell you that he was not protecting the Main family, but his family. He chose his own death.", he stopped suddenly when he felt a breeze come into the room.

Neji didn't notice it as he stared at him. "Why didn't you tell me this before - "

"I didn't want you to think that your father forgot about you or for you to believe that your life wasn't enough for him to live for. When he left, I promised him that I would take care of you. So, when it comes down to it, you are my son, and I will continue to call you my son even if it may displease you.", Hiashi stated evenly.

The scent of lavender became heavy in the room then was what Neji noticed, and he numbly rubbed his nose, trying to get rid of the scent that was slowly calming him. He didn't want to be calm, but that scent was working its charm on him.

He sighed and looked away forlornly towards the picture on the wall again before looking back up at Hiashi, who was watching him with a steady gaze.

"You want to be my father?", he asked, a sly meaning behind his question, which caused Hiashi to tilt his head a bit.

"You are my son.", he stated.

Neji remained quiet; there wasn't anything more he could say. With silence, he stood from his seat and gave the man a final glance before walking out of the pristine doors, leaving the man at the other end of the table in silence.

Hiashi and interlaced his fingers together while leaning against the table. "Thank you."

…

His eyes then looked towards the small remote on his side. He hadn't looked at television for weeks now, but today he felt the need to do so. With another sign, he picked up the remote and pressed the 'on' button.

When he saw lavender eyes and indigo hair he quickly turned it off and closed his eyes, pushing back the forthcoming memories in his mind. He gripped his pounding head and let the silence fill the room, praying for God to have mercy on him.

* * *

"…and Shi told me that she has been in my house, my _house_! Can you believe that? Really, I would have thought that that prick would have had enough respect for me not to bring that bitch to my house. So fucking pathetic.", Tenten said to Hinata as they sat in a nail salon in the mall, speaking in English so as to not let their conversation be known.

Hinata gave the woman a nod before looking down at her nails. "W-What do you plan on doing now?"

Tenten snorted as she watched the woman file her nails. "I plan on getting my condo in the morning and packing my shit in the evening."

The bluette froze when she said that.

She had forgot about moving out; all of her stuff was still in the mansion that she and Sasuke shared. All of this was new to her. She sighed and dropped her head a bit. _How stressful that was going to be…_

"Don't tell me you haven't got your shit out yet?", the brunette asked, amusement and mock in her voice.

Hinata threw her a soft glare, which caused the woman to choke in laughter.

"Oh my God, you're serious! Hinata, what have you been doing? Every woman knows that when shit goes down, their shit is supposed to go!", Tenten laughed, making the woman doing her nails grip her hands and give her a reprimanding look.

"Shut up, T-Ten. I didn't know.", Hinata pouted. "H-How am I supposed to get m-my stuff? I don't want to run into him w-while being there-"

"Let me go with you then so that I can knock his ass out.", Tenten stated. "You don't need to be scared! You have every fucking right to get your stuff out of that house! You don't even have to say anything to you, and if he tries to grab at you, elbow his tall ass in the nose – or better yet, kick him in the balls. But I prefer that if you want to pay his ass back, take me with you."

Hinata shook her head at the woman before giving her a smile. "I-I can't bring you, you're on parole. I don't want you doing something that you'll regret later."

Tenten snorted once again. "Trust me, that's something I _won't_ regret.", she looked over towards the television on the wall. "I mean, he fucking cheated on you with Sakura Haruno – what kind of man does that to his wife? Complete scum, both Neji and Sasuke are. God, I can't even fathom what went through their fucking skulls when they went banging those - Holy Fuck, Hinata that chick looks just like you.", Tenten suddenly said as she looked up at the television screen in the corner of the room.

The bluette quickly locked her gaze on the television; there she was. Fighting Sakura Haruno on the Can aisle. Hinata softly pulled her hands away from the woman before her, who was on the verge of fainting any minute, and slammed her head down on the table. "Oh God. I-It's everywhere…"

Tenten looked towards the worker by the television. "Hey you, turn that up a bit." With a nod, the worker grabbed a remote and turn up the volume, letting the sound of the reporter come through.

"_**Just last night inside of Rigan Grocery, a major cat-fight broke out between international Supermodel Sakura Haruno and Former-Heiress Hinata Hyuuga after they both met each other face to face – Sakura with Sasuke Uchiha, CEO of Uchiha's newly named company Sharingan. and Hinata with her proclaimed - lover Sasori Hitachiin. Rumours around the city of Tokyo claim that the start of the fight was over none other than Sasuke, but other's protest against this, saying that the start of the fight was caused by Sakura, who is said to have insulted our dearly beloved Hyuuga personally, which caused Hinata to throw the first punch and, eventually, dog-walk the model. Soon after the fight, Sasuke called off the engagement between him and Sakura Haruno. Ouch, now that hurts. What do you all think? What do you think started the fight, and does Sasuke still have feelings for his wife, Hinata Hyuuga? Tweet your side to us at #SvH right now!"**_

When the commercial sound started to play, Hinata turned her head a bit to look at the brunette. She sighed heavily when she saw Tenten's fish face gawking at the screen.

"Hinata...", she started, her face still in gawking mode.

Hinata glanced at her before looking back up at the screen; a photo of her from the ball stood next to a picture of the pinkette from a photo shoot. People were literally pinning them against each other, wanting them to fight again.

And they thought she was fighting for Sasuke?! That was so…so.

She sighed in despair and bopped her head back down on the table.

She felt…trashy, like she was a clingy girl. That wasn't who she was, but she had acted on her anger and lashed out, which made her seem as such.. She wasn't a tough girl like Tenten, Ino, Konan, or Temari; she had always thought of herself to be shy and to be a person who didn't stand out much. Now she was getting all of this attention, all of this publicity for the _wrong_ reasons.

All of this stuff on her was making Sasuke look like he was in control of what she felt, when he wasn't. First the picture with Sasori and going to the ball with him made her look like she was trying to get back at Sasuke for leaving her, when she wasn't. Well…maybe a little, but that wasn't the whole case. She would never _ever_ cheat on Sasuke even though he had done it so many times.

Then she fought Sakura Haruno, a woman that was loved and envied by the public. Everyone _loved_ Sakura Haruno. When she had fought the pinkette, it made her look like she was jealous of her, when she wasn't. It wasn't good that Sasuke had called off the engagement either; it was like he was going to come back to her or something, like she had begged him to come back.

There were so many different ways that the media could take this. She was so fed up with it. How could -

"YOU KICKED HER ASS!", Tenten screamed in triumph. "Oh hell yeah!" Hinata looked over at her, her train of thought crashing. The brunette was watching the video on her phone, smiling brightly at every scene. "You're so badass for this! I can't believe it- you dragged her across the floor – oh, wait a minute…she's trying to pull your hai – that's right! Uppercut that bitch!", the woman cackled a bit, which made Hinata move her chair a little.

Sasori soon came into the little store, one hand holding the pet carrier while the other one was holding Tenji's hand. Because Tenten couldn't be seen with the little boy due to her parole, he was currently wearing a beanie, which was stuffed with his hair, and dark sunglasses. He was hardly recognizable, courtesy of the redhead.

"Hinata, I need your phone number.", Sasori said as he came towards the two from Tenten's side. "Me and my nephew Hablo want to go to Pet Co. Saon's getting fittsy in this cage.", he explained, shaking the carrier a bit to prove his point.

Hinata gave him a dull look. "Hablo?", she whispered with a furrowed brow. Couldn't he have come up with a better name than that?

Tenji slide down his glasses and winked. "Sup, baby."

Tenten slide her seat back and eyed the boy. He waved towards her innocently, a sheepish smile on his face.

The bluette searched for her phone and soon pulled it from her skirt pocket before handing it to him and grabbing his phone. After three minutes of typing in their number and setting their picture, they both simultaneously tossed each other their phone.

"See you guys later – Hablo, Vamonos!", Sasori called out as he picked up the carrier and started out the door.

"Okay!", Tenji exclaimed and looked back at his mother with a bright smile. "BYE BYE MOMMY!", he shouted before running after the redhead.

Both Tenten and Hinata paled when he said that, and looked at the people around. One of the workers looked towards the door before looking back at Tenten. "That's your son?"

"Bye.", Tenten stated while she threw the money down on the table and grabbed Hinata's hands. "Thank you, you meddlesome bishes."

* * *

"B-Bishes? What was that?", Hinata asked as they walked hand in hand in the mall donning matching purple wigs and giant star glasses, their 'secret' disguises.

Tenten dully slurped her drink. "I don't know, something that I heard on tv."

"Oh." Hinata looked over at the woman after a while, noticing that she was quiet. Unusually quiet. "I-Is something wrong?"

Tenten looked down at her, the bang on the wig shaking. "No. Nothing's wrong."

The bluette sighed before speaking. "J-Just spit it out."

"Are you dating that Sasori guy – not that I'm objecting it or anything, but…are you two, you know…'dating' or just having a sexual relationship on the si – "

"NO!", Hinata squealed, startling a little girl walking by. "N-No, me and Sasori are just friends! That's all!"

"So you two _are_ having sex?", the woman asked. What was wrong with the world today…

Hinata felt like fainting; throughout her and Tenten's relationship, they had never talked about…THAT…it felt so foreign that it made her face get hot.

"N-No….why do you ask?", the meek girl asked, her face red with embarrassment as they both sat down on a bench in front of the mall's huge fountain in the middle of the store.

Tenten slid her glasses off while staring at the ground. "I don't like him.", she answered honestly. "He seems like he's nice but…if you two aren't dating then I don't think you should talk to him."

Hinata's eyes widened a bit and she soon took off her own star-shaped glasses. "W-Why?"

"Because he's taking you away from me!", the brunette yelled and threw her arms around the girl, burying her face into her blouse. "I'm your best friend."

Hinata smiled a bit and wrapped her arm around the hysterical woman's waist. "What makes y-you think that he's taking me away?"

Tenten snuggled into Hinata's chest as she thought for a moment. "Well…when you introduced me to him, I knew that you had to have been friends with him; you just don't introduce me to people unless you have history with him."

"I introduced you t-to Konan and Ino and you didn't seem to have a problem – "

"They're different! I knew that no matter how close you got with them that I would still be your best friend!"

"They're my best friends, too.", Hinata stated with amusement.

"But I'm your bestest bestie in the whole wide world. They can't compete with our love.", Tenten replied, pouting evident in her voice.

"But Sasori can?"

"I feel threatened by him. He's cute and adorable! I'm cute and adorable! He's tall, I'm tall. He has good hair, I have good hair.", Tenten explained while waving her hands around. Hinata giggled at her silliness.

"So you don't like him because you two are…alike?"

"Not alike, just similar. I'm one of a kind.", Tenten corrected her. "I don't like him because of that and because…I don't know. I just feel like he's your rebound guy or something. Are you sure that you two aren't having sex?"

Hinata glared down at the woman while blushing. "No."

Tenten gave her a smile. "Wow, I have to say that I'm impressed. You know, it has been hard having to live without sex, you know? It's like a daily requirement of life, but I guess that I'm so used to it because of the loads of sex me and N-"

"PLEASE!", Hinata wailed as she clutched her head. "D-Don't tell me that. I don't need to…please don't do that, Ten." She did not need to hear that.

Tenten laughed a bit and stretched out on the bench, now positioned on the girl's lap. "Oh come on, Hinata. Don't tell me you haven't at least thought about sex?"

_Is that what everyone only talks about? _Hinata thought as she blushed heavily.

"I-I can live without it. No big deal.", the meek girl replied in a low voice.

Tenten snorted while looking at the girl. "What have you and Sasuke been doing?"

Hinata blushed harder, which made Tenten break out in a mischievous smirk.

"Soo…how is sex with Sasuke?" These questions were becoming uncomfortable to the bluette, so she decided to use a different tactic…

Hinata gasped and pointed in a different direction. "Is that…is that I-Inuyasha over there." Tenten squawked and rolled off the girl onto the floor and jumped up.

"WHERE? WHERE IS HE?", she asked as she looked around, trying to find her idol somewhere. "I need to find him! Hinata, where did you…", she looked down at the empty bench for a while before her face turned into a curious frown.

"Just where did she go?"

* * *

Hinata let out a breath in relief as she leaned against the wall in a decorative store. She couldn't stay one more minute with the brunette talking about such things; it wasn't _normal_ for her. But still, she couldn't help but let out a little giggle at the thought of the bun-headed woman.

She had noticed it the first time the woman opened the door; that smile told it all. She was happy, more happy than the bluette had ever seen her. It confused her though; wouldn't any woman be devasated that their husband had cheated on them and gotten another woman pregnant. Sure, she had expressed her anger to Hinata, but soon she let it go, brushed it off like it didn't matter. It didn't seem right. Something was up, and Hinata was curious to find out why the brunette was keeping it in. Did she not trust her?

_I'm such a hypocrite…, _Hinata thought as she started to roam the store.

Of course – she was a hypocrite. She had a lot of secrets that she was hiding. Like the one about her knowing of Neji and Kin, but not telling Tenten about it. Just the thought of it made Hinata's heart clench. In those types of situations, nothing good ever came out of it; either you lose your best friend or you lose their trust. It wasn't fair…

"Hinata? Is that you?", a voice called, which made Hinata turn around and meet with bright azure eyes. Naruto gave a surprised look when she turned towards her.

"Naruto? W-What are you doing here?", she asked in a bit of rushed tone unknowingly. She scanned him a bit before meeting his eyes. He was dressed casually; a white shirt and jeans. Nothing special…

"Oh!", he muttered and looked down at the bag in his hands. "Uh, I was just getting some props for practice tonight – you know, for the fashion show Sasuke's throwing for the, um, families affected in the bombing…"

"Oh…t-that's…nice of him?", she was unsure of as to what to say to that; Sasuke helping people was just…weird_. Maybe the guilt is getting to him…_

Naruto scratched the back of his sheepishly with a little grin on his face. "Yeah, it is.", he muttered nervously, much to Hinata's surprise. "You, um, - you look nice…"

Hinata furrowed her brow a bit; now this was getting _awkward_. She looked down at her blouse and black pencil skirt before looking back up at him. She then awkwardly slipped off the purple wig, letting her indigo hair fall down her back. "T-Thank you.", she replied, her hands tampering with the wig while she averted her eyes her feet.

"So how is mama?", he asked in a low voice, which made Hinata looked back up at him. He sounded like he was broken almost.

She gave him a small smile. "S-She's fine, but she still d-doesn't…", she couldn't finish her sentence when she saw his bright eyes dull a bit, and decided on a different answer. "She doesn't r-remember you all y-yet, but she d-does remember that her f-favorite food is salt ramen a-and that she l-likes to cook!" When she said that, his dull eyes brightened, if only just a little.

When Naruto was sad, he reminded her of a kicked puppy. Sure, she didn't like him, but that didn't mean she wanted him to be miserable.

Naruto suddenly smiled. "Mama and her salt ramen. She loves that stuff.", he grinned. His smile was contagious; Hinata couldn't help but give up her own smile.

That was what she loved about him in school; whenever he smiled, she smiled. He had always been the one to light up a room. He was warm, so much like the sun. That was what he was: the sun, bright and warm.

"Hinata." Said girl looked into his eyes then, only for him to turn his head and let a heavy blush come onto his cheeks. "I, uh, about what happened at the ball…"

Hinata sighed. "Naruto, not n- "

"I want to apologize for what I did to you and all of the dumb shit! I didn't mean to hurt you by giving you those papers, and yes, I was following behind Sasuke, and I know that that isn't any excuse, but I just wanna be honest!", he said in a loud tone.

The former-heiress stayed quiet while she looked into his eyes. It was startling to see that he was honest; he reminded her of Sasori a little. She could read him like a book as well.

Blue: Kind. Candid .Bright. Youthful. . That is what she pulled from his orbs.

But could she trust him? She thought about it for a moment while staring at his pleading form.

After a minute, Hinata sighed. "I-I'll give you two minutes. J-Just two.", she whispered.

"Great!", he said with a smile, and soon she felt him grab her hand before leading her out of the store. She was a bit anxious of him holding her hand; it didn't feel right. They weren't _friends_ or anything…

"N-Naruto.", when he stopped and looked back, she blushed and looked down at their joined hands. She suddenly thought for a moment what her past self would think of her holding her crush's hand. _Probably be fainting…_, she thought with an inner snort. She felt like fainting now though…he was _holding_ her hand. _I've come a long way…_

"It's okay – no one is gonna see us. The mall made sure to close down this part of the mall once me and my entourage came.", he explained as he led her to the bench a small table near the fountain.

She gave a blank look at that. Depriving civilians of their products? What a rich jerk…

Hinata bit her bottom lip as she sat down in the chair, Naruto sitting across from her soon after.

"Does my time start now?", he asked with a light grin. The bluette gave him a blank stare, which made his grin fade a little. With a sigh, he spoke. "Okay…I'll start by saying that I'm sorry for the divorce p-"

"You already apologized for t-that.", Hinata stated, cutting him off completely. "B-But it's not you giving me the p-papers that's bothering me, it's just how you treated my sister and how you gave them to m-me. Y-You didn't even care how I felt, n-no sympathy at all."

"I did have sympathy for the situation! I even approached Sasuke about it, but all he told me to do was give you the papers and leave! I had to choose which side I was on was what he said!", Naruto yelled. "I did – no – I do care for you, Hinata, but Sasuke is my best friend. If I had to choose between you two, then I would have to choose him."

Hinata thought over his words for a second before speaking. "S-So…when you gave me the papers…you were clarifying whose side you were on?", she asked, her eyes narrowed as she slightly glared at him.

He sighed and hand through his blond locks. "Yeah, I was."

"So it didn't matter if he was right or wrong? Y-You just chose him because you two have history together?", Hinata asked in disbelief of his words. Sasuke was really just…

"You have to understand where I'm coming from! Sasuke and I have been friends since we were little – "

"No, Naruto, I don't think I have to understand.", Hinata snapped. "Just because you two have been f-friends for a long time doesn't mean you have to agree or side with him on everything."

The blond gave off another sigh before leaning up a bit in his chair. "H-He's my best friend, Hinata."

"I-It doesn't seem like you two are, _Naruto_. It seems like you're apart of his faithful entourage or something.", the bluette said, her glare penetrating him.

She didn't know why, but it was so easy for her to get angry with Naruto. It was like he was a stick, poking at her wound that she had gotten from an injury. He just made her want to scream and shout due to his ridiculous behavior. Was he really this clueless?

"Hinata, please, does it really matter?! I know now that I was wrong and I just want you to forgive me!", Naruto begged, his eyes pleading.

"I can't!", she answered back, shocking herself that she had yelled at him. "I-I don't know why, but I can't, Naruto, I just c-can't. I-I'll admit that what you did to me was petty and childish, and I know this, b-but I can't.", she explained, her chest hurting a bit.

In a way, she wanted him to suffer from grief, to feel the pain that she had felt…

She looked down at the table when she felt his hands take hers into his palms. "I'm so sorry for hurting you, Hinata, I'm so, _so_ sorry. I should have known better than to choose between you two because, in a way, you were a great friend to me.", he said, his voice strained a bit. "I promise you that it won't happen again – I promise I won't betray your friendship or take it for granted ever again. Please, Hinata…", he gripped her hands, which made her look into his eyes once again.

Maybe it was the fountain in the background or the way the sun shined in through the glass windows above them, Hinata didn't know, but for a moment she could have sworn she was staring at an angel. She had thought of him to be perfect when she was little, but now she saw that he had flaws; he wasn't perfect.

Just like Sasuke wasn't perfect, despite how handsome he was…

Now she knew why she couldn't forgive him…

She gave him a half smile. "I-I had a crush on you i-in High School.", she continued despite how his eyes widened at her confession. "I liked you, a-a lot. I used to stalk you, and leave you anonymous notes i-in your locker during breaks between class. I loved your face, but n-not only that. I loved your laugh, your warm aura, and how friendly you were. In my fantasy, you were my Prince Charming. I had always thought of y-you to be perfect, and that had never changed, e-even when I married Sasuke.

"I g-guess the reason why I can't s-seem to forgive you is because you were supposed to be that perfect guy. You were supposed to know right from wrong, t-to not make any mistakes. I-I feel like you betrayed me.", she soon stopped to see his reaction.

Naruto stayed silent, his eyes still wide with shock. "Hinata, I-I didn't know y – "

She decided to save him from sputtering. "I-It's okay. I now understand that no one is perfect. I shouldn't h-have had such high expectations in the first p-place.", her words cut him a bit, but his shock stayed with him. "I-I can forgive you, but I c-can't trust you. Our friendship is broken; t-trust was its seal."

"Wait, are you saying that you don't want to be my friend anymore?", he asked, his shock gone replaced with hurt; Hinata looked away.

"Right now, I'm n-not your friend – we're not friends. W-We're barely acquaintances at this point. I'm not saying that I don't want to be y-your friend, it's just that at this point in time, we are on different sides.", she said in a low tone while looking down at her manicured hands. It was hard to look at his face.

"This is about me picking Sasuke? Hinata, please – "

She was tired of this already, and she soon gripped her forehead. "I-It's going to take a long time, Naruto. I just can't trust you anymore, not right now. I need time to think t-this out. I just need time… Naruto. If you want to be my f-friend, you have to prove it to me. S-Show me that I can trust you again.", she pulled out a gum wrapper from her purse and a pen. "U-Until then, you are not to speak to me unless it is about K-Kushina.", with a scribble of her hand, she quickly jotted down her phone number and stood up.

Naruto scoffed and snatched up the gum wrapper and his bag before going after the girl that was walking away. "You're not making this easy at all!", he called after her as he followed her.

"It's not supposed to be easy!", Hinata called back. "That's t-the whole point of it! When you do s-stupid things, you get consequences!", saying 'stupid' was a very…obscene word for her to say. She barely said it at all…

"Can I at least get a warning then? You didn't even warn me! Warnings always come before consequences!", he screeched, his voice echoing in the nearly empty mall.

Hinata suddenly stopped and turned towards him, disbelief on her face. "A-Are we really having this conversation?"

Before Naruto could respond, they both heard a cry ring out in the empty wing of the mall, much like a child's cry. The pair looked towards the sound and saw Sasori along with two security guards, holding a crying Tenji and the pet carrier.

"Hinata, we have to go now!", Sasori called out to her from his spot by the door.

Hinata looked towards Naruto for a moment before walking towards the redhead and the sobbing child, leaving the blond to watch after her once again.

"W-What happened?", the bluette asked as she rubbed the child's back.

"Some of Hyuuga's fans recognized him and started snapping pictures of him. Pretty soon the whole pet wing was surrounding him.", Sasori explained.

Hinata sighed a bit before taking the boy from the man's body. Tenji's hat was gone; now his chestnut hair glistened in the sunlight. _Poor thing…_

She patted his back gently as he buried his face in the crook of her neck and wrapped his arms around her neck. She had done the same thing when she was little, which was why she wasn't very fond of the paparazzi.

"D-Do you know where Tenten is?", the girl soon asked as they continued their walk into the next wing of the mall, the guards close behind.

Sasori shook his head. "No clue. I thought she was with you?"

Hinata let a light blush come over her face at the thought of the woman before she looked to the guard at her side. "C-Can you find her for me?"

He nodded and started to speak into his monitor.

"Did you have fun on your little date with Namikaze?", the redhead teased as he wiggled his brows.

Hinata snorted. "Dare to dream.", she answered sarcastically. "H-He wants to be my friend again."

Sasori raised an eyebrow at that. "Really? That's…"

"Horrible.", Hinata finished. "I can't be his friend anymore."

"Why not?"

Hinata threw the man an odd look. "B-Because he was mean to me." She frowned when the man chuckled at her. "W-What's so funny?"

"I'm your friend and I was pretty mean to you. Remember, first meeting with Akatsuki and Sabaku? The seat thing?"

"Y-you didn't know any better and we barely knew e-each other. Naruto and I have been friends since I started dating Sasuke.", Hinata defended, her grasp on Tenji tightening when she saw a few people in stores staring at them and snapping pictures.

"Deidara and I are mean to each other all the time, but we're still friends.", Sasori shot back. Hinata glared at him.

"They've found her. She's on the east wing.", the guard stated to Hinata. "Toshi, clear her a way. We are gonna lead them out by?"

"South wing.", the redhead responded as he ran a hand through his locks.

"South Wing.", the man said into the monitor before putting it into the side of his pocket. "We have a tough crowd towards the south wing as well as the entrance, but we're gonna push you all through the crowd and try to avoid any injuries by having our off-duty men come and observe that part of the area."

Hinata nodded before glancing over at Tenji. "Do you have a blanket or a jacket? So that I can cover him." She still had to remember that at Tenten and Tenji were not supposed to be together in public right now; it could mean serious time in court.

One of the guards pulled off his jacket and laid it over the young boy's head, covering his face completely as Tenji clutched tighter to the girl.

Soon, Tenten emerged from the other side of the mall, her hair brown hair messy and down her shoulder while she bore an agitated look. "Fucking peeps snatched off my wig. I had to run from them – what kind of fans do I have?", she muttered to herself until she saw Tenji on the girl. "What happened?"

Hinata shook her head a little. "P-Paparazzi scare is all."

Tenji raised his head towards his mother before stretching his arms out towards her. Tenten began to grab for him, but paused; she had almost forgot that she wasn't supposed to be out with him, but pushed it aside and grabbed the boy from Hinata.

"Fuck the law.", the brunette muttered and threw the jacket over her son.

"Ready?", one of the guards asked. With a look at the two beside her, Hinata nodded and soon, the three were ushered to the south wing.

They weren't prepared for what they saw though…

Tenten pressed the jacket onto the boy's ears as the shattering screams of the fans came from the opened door.

It was full; the whole mall wing was so crowded that from afar it looked like a waves in a sea. Hinata shielded her eyes as the flashes from camera phones and cameras caught her eyes.

There was so much noise and controversy going on; the only thing leading the pair anywhere was the guards, who were pushing any and everybody away from the group.

Hinata heard so many things at once: "I love you Hinata!" – "Sasori and Hinata!" – "I love you, Tenten!" – "Is that Tenji?! I love you, little guy!" All of that was blurred into a jumbled mess that Hinata couldn't comprehend.

It was surprising that this many people liked her. She had thought her fans had left, but they were here all along.

It made her heart warm considerably.

"Hinata! Are you and Sasori dating?!", a reporter asked as she walked beside them. Both the bluette and Sasori looked at each other before a grin broke out on their faces.

Hinata shook her head. "N-No. W-We're just friends.", she answered with a small smile.

"Best friends.", Sasori said soon after while he wrapped his arms around the girl's shoulders. This only made the screams from the people increase though. The reporter nodded before she was pushed away by the guards surrounding them.

Sasori and Hinata looked at each other once more before smiling a bit at each other…

Tenten watched from the corner of her eyes though, an envious look flickering in her brown orbs…

That evening, Tenten declared war on Sasori.

* * *

It was 7:03 when they all made it through the back door of the Rouga Mazor, Hinata and Sasori dressed in casual clothing; Sasori in sweats and Hinata in jeans and her lavender blouse. Tenten held Tenji's hand as she walked in and stared up at the lights on the ceiling.

"Let's get this over with.", Sasori muttered as he walked further into the crowded room, ignoring the lusty looks being sent his way from models looking their way.

Hinata nervously stood in near the entrance and watched as models passed by her along with people who wore head microphones.

There were several tables set up, each from a different designer. She watched as Sasori walked towards Sabaku's table and bent down to sign something. _He has a nice butt…_

"Hinata, aren't you going to go to your area?", Tenten asked as she brushed some hair away from her son's eyes. "Don't want to wait here too long…"

"R-Right.", she muttered, and started to look for her designated stand. Right to the left of her, in big bold cursive writing was 'Ibisu', written in red. Hinata let out a breath before bidding her friend goodbye.

She quickly noticed that beside each stand was a large area, where models walked back and forth onto. She gulped a bit and pressed the thought of tripping to the back of her mind.

"Oh my God, Hinata Uchiha?", Hinata whipped her head back when she heard her name, and came face to face with a woman with black hair and piercing red eyes.

"Yes?", she asked as she scanned the pretty woman.

The woman smiled at her before walking around her stand and offering her hand. "I'm sorry to bother you but…Hi.", the woman smiled widely, which made Hinata blush, but nonetheless the girl shook the woman's hand. "I'm Kurenai Yuhi, designer of 'Flower Petal'."

Hinata gave a slightly shocked expression at that. Of course; Sasuke just had to have the best of the best in his show, didn't he? The bluette gave the woman a smile. "It's an h-honor meeting you, Kurenai-san."

"Likewise.", the woman happily responded. "Are you here for…" _Sasuke…_

Hinata quickly got her hint and shook her head. "N-No. I'm just here to model for 'Ibisu'."

Kurenai blinked. "You …model?"

The former-Heiress bit her lip a bit; did the woman think she wasn't pretty enough to model. "Y-Yes ma'am.", she answered, trying to keep her smile.

Kurenai soon gave her a dazzling smile, which caught her off guard. "Miss Hinata, I'm sorry to bother you with this but, can I book you for my line as well?"

Hinata's mind went blank when she heard that. "E-Excuse me?"

"It would be an honor to have you modeling in my designs." ,the woman responded with an excited smile.

It was…thrilling to know that someone wanted you to be their model. But still, she didn't know how to walk in a runway show.

"I would l-love to, but my walk isn't really good."

Kurenai waved her off and brought her to the stand. "Nonsense. I'm sure you have a stellar walk. If not, then we can always switch to combat boots or the boots with the low wedges.", she said as she pulled out an entry form. "My line right now is a kind of spring meets fall kind of thing, so you'll be in a lot of trench coats and boats when you walk for me."

Hinata nodded as she grabbed the form from the woman. "T-Thank you so much."

"No, no, thank you. I'm honored – do you mind taking a picture with me and my husband?", she suddenly asked, and Hinata nodded once again. "Asuma!"

A tall, tan man soon came over, a baby in his arms. "What is it?", he asked as he bounced the baby, making a series of giggles come from the baby's mouth.

Kurenai wrapped an arm around the bluette and grinned. "Hinata Uchiha is going to be one of my models for the show! Isn't that awesome?"

A smile soon came onto his face. "That is awesome.", he looked towards Hinata and offered her his hand. "Nice to meet you, Hinata." Hinata shook his hand, a light blush coming onto her cheeks as she also gave him a smile.

She was meeting a _lot_ of important people today.

"Zo, come take our picture!", Kurenai called to one of her assistants at the table. Asuma looked down at the baby in his hands before handing it to Hinata, who nervously held the baby and looked towards the camera in front of her.

After a couple of shots, Hinata handed the child back and waved the two goodbye before heading towards Tenten, who was chatting with three women in the crowded area.

" – oh come on, Mrs. Hyuuga. Are you sure you aren't interested?", a woman dressed in bright colors asked.

Tenten shook her head and looked down at Tenji, who was shyly hiding his face in Saon's fur. "Nah, modeling's not my thing. I prefer soccer.", she answered bluntly to the women, who awkwardly took a sip of their champagne.

Hinata rushed over and tapped the brunette on the back. "I-I got booked!"

Tenten raised an eyebrow at her. "At Ibisu?"

"At Flower Petals! I got b-booked at Flower Petals!", the bluette cheered in excitement, making some of the models at other stands give her an envious sigh.

Tenten gave off a look of disbelief. "You're shitting me!", she grabbed the paper from the girl and stared down at it. "Oh my God, YOU GOT BOOKED AT FLOWER PETALS!", the brunette yelled and started to jump in excitement with the bluette.

"I-I know right!", Hinata squealed as she and the brunette bounced around. Getting booked with one of the most popular designer in Japan was something to scream about.

The pair froze when a cough sounded from the women in front of them, and soon three forms were put in the bluette's view.

"We would be honored.", they chanted in union as they stuck out the forms.

Hinata looked on at the forms in disbelief.

_Wow…_

* * *

Fourty-five minutes later, Hinata found herself at a table in the loud room, filling out forms with the help of Tenten.

The girl hummed a tune as she crossed her legs, her eyes reading every word on the paper. She was booked to two international designers while the rest were Japan-based; she was beyond excited at this point. Maybe being a model wouldn't be so hard if she kept getting luck like this…

"Done!", Tenten sighed as she pushed back the papers and pulled out her phone. "I'm pooped – where's the food?"

Hinata pointed at the wall on the far right, and soon a moan came from the brunette. "I said food, not vegetables. What kind of place is this?"

"A modeling a-agency, I think.", Hinata replied as she signed the last form from Ibisu and pushed it back. "W-Where's Tenji?"

Tenten snorted as she pulled a candy bar from her pocket. "With your new 'best friend'.", she muttered as she unwrapped the bar.

Hinata sighed and playfully rolled her eyes. "This again…"

"He's trying to take my place – that cute little _rat_ is trying to take it, I'm telling you, Hinata.", Tenten said with a frown as she bit into her bar.

The bluette scrunched her nose a bit. "S-Sasori's not a rat…"

Tenten scoffed. "You're defending him?! So he is your best friend!" Hinata shook her head and laid her head on the woman's shoulder.

"H-He could never take your place. You're my b-bish."

The brunette looked down at her. "What kind of bish am I?"

Hinata grinned shyly. "M-My sexy bish."

"Damn right.", Tenten muttered as she looked towards the Sabaku stand where models were still waiting to see if they qualified for modeling with the company. "Seriously, I don't see what is so special about modeling. All you do is wear these weird-looking outfits and embarrass yourself on national tv, then get talked about in blogs if you were too 'fat' or too 'short' for the job."

Hinata shrugged and stared at the stand as well, marveling at the amount of models around the stand. _Most likely there to get close to the Akatsuki _… Hinata thought as she stared at the pretty models.

Her lavender orbs soon averted towards the seats behind the stand on the far wall…

She squinted a bit before she gasped and patted Tenten's arm. "Ten, look."

They both looked to the space behind the stand ; Tenji was smiling shyly beside a blonde-haired little girl, who was petting Saon while smiling at him as well.

Simultaneously, Hinata and Tenten pulled out their phones and snapped several pictures.

"His first crush!", Tenten muttered as she zoomed in and took a couple of shots. "My baby's growing up so fast!"

When Hinata heard that, she slowly lowered her phone and looked over towards the brunette, who was tearing up a little. Tenten's smile dropped slowly though as she lowered her phone and looked over at the bluette.

Hinata didn't even have to ask; Tenen already knew the question.

Tenji was growing up. And he would need his father in his life as well.

He was learning new things, becoming inspired, crushing on girls now…

Would that change once he found out that his parents were getting a divorce?

Hinata watched as Tenten turned her gaze on another spot in the room, her eyes dull and full of thoughts.

The bluette sighed and looked down at her phone…

Only for her to see the number five about her message button. She gave a curious look before realizing what it was.

_The messages from Sasuke…_

She sighed started to tap the little icon, but was stopped by the loud sound of a voice on an intercom. _"All models report center stage – I repeat, all models report to the center of the stage."_

Hinata froze; her blood went cold. She could feel her hands getting cold as well as he legs becoming wobbly just from her sitting.

She saw all of the models exit through to a dark door; even the Akatsuki, but Sasori stopped and ushered her over. Her heart started to beat hard soon…

Tenten reached out and hugged the girl sideways. "Don't worry, everything's going to be fine! Get your ass out there!"

"R-Right.", Hinata said, and slid out of her seat and slowly walked towards the door where Sasori stood.

The redhead looked down at her before opening the door for her, letting her walk down the descending stair and out of the open-way into a room where seats and decorations were being put up.

"W-Where are we?", she asked as they both walked from the stairs. Sasori gave her a puzzled look.

When they full entered the room, he didn't even have to answer her. Her breath hitched when she saw the large runway before her. It wasn't straight like she has thought it would be; it was much larger and was made in a zig-zag pattern. _Great…_

Now she knew she was going to fall on her face…

Sasori looked down and saw her stunned face. "You okay?"

She shook her head, and with a sigh the redhead grabbed her hand. "You are a piece of work, Hinata."

She nodded, not even listening to him as they walked behind other models up the steps and towards the center of the stage. It was about two-hundred models on the stage, so Hinata moved to the end of the long row with the redhead, not wanting to be the first one to start walking if that happened.

"I-I don't think I can d-do this.", Hinata muttered as she gripped Sasori's hand, trying hard not to faint. Sasori squeezed her hand back, giving her a glance.

"It's easy. All you have to do it look at the light in the middle of the wall and walk.", he said while pointing at the mark.

She looked at the light then looked at the stage; didn't match up at all. "S-Sasori, what about turning and walking? The light won't be visible if I turn and walk beside it!", she muttered in panic.

"Okay everyone, he's here – we are ready to go!", a man said into a microphone as he stepped onto the stage and stood in front of them. "My name's Yamato and I will be your runway director for today! Now, what I want you all to do is split up into groups by the designer you will be modeling for tomorrow night – if you are in more than one, come and stand in front of me!"

Hinata threw another panicked look at the redhead, who only sighed and leaned towards her. "Don't overthink it – remember, it's easy. Just look straight forward and walk." With that, he patted her shoulder and went over to the Sabaku group along with the rest of the Akatsuki with the exception of Itachi.

Just where was Itachi?

Hinata shook her head and walked towards the director.

She didn't notice when the talking on the stage ceased or when the atmosphere suddenly became tense; her gaze was on her feet as she stepped in front of the man. What she did notice though was a heated glare on the side of her face, which cause her to glance up to see who it belonged to…

Sakura glared at her with a deadly gaze as she stood beside her. Hinata raised an eyebrow as she stared back at the beautiful pinkette.

Yamato stared at the two with an anxious eye. "Is there going to be any problems on this stage?"

Hinata shot her eyes up at the man. "N-No, sir!", she said.

Sakura snorted as she flipped some hair over her shoulder. "She's speaking for herself.", she bit out. Yamato sighed and held out his clipboard in his view.

"Haku, come stand between these two.", the director said to a model beside the pinkette.

Hinata's view of Sakura was blocked by a tall, beautiful model.

Yamato nodded in satisfaction before looking back at the clip-board. "Okay, now that everyone is in their correct spot, let's get do – "

"SORRY WE'RE LATE!", a voice called out, which caused Hinata to roll her eyes unknowingly. Naruto soon emerged from the side door, a bright smile on his face as he followed behind…

"No.", Hinata whispered as she stared down at the pair approaching the stage, a red-haired woman with glasses following closely behind.

Yamato looked behind him and waved. "It's okay! You didn't miss anything – I was just saying the instructions is all!"

Her heart started to pound as she watched the pair come up the stairs of the runway towards the center, her eyes only on one ominous figure; she snapped her eyes downward.

Naruto smiled towards the models on the stage. "Hey everyone!"

After a good amount of greetings, the three made it beside the director. The room went quiet, and Hinata prayed a bit before letting her eyes snap up at the three.

Naruto gave a surprised look when he saw her, while Sasuke scanned all of the other models on the runway, a red-haired woman holding onto his arm.

On the other side of the model next to her, she heard a light sob from the pinkette.

The Uchiha stuffed his hands in his pockets before speaking to the attentive models. "I only have three goals for tomorrow – to raise $700,000; to have the best show in Japan's history of fashion shows, and lastly, to have a show without any mistakes.", Hinata froze when he snapped his obsidian eyes to her. "At all. So don't fuck up, Hyuuga."

He tore his gaze from her and towards the rest of the models. "If any one of you fuck up on this stage tonight, you will not get a second chance to 'prove' anything to me, so make sure your walk, posture, and facial expression is perfect. I will accept nothing less.", he stated in an emotionless voice as he scanned the crowd. "Do I make myself clear?"

Hinata didn't join in the chant of 'yes, sir'; her mind was blank.

She didn't even move when he stepped towards her and glared down at her, the redhead still on his arm. "I said, do I make myself clear?"

His voice was like poison to her insides; so much cockiness and arrogance in it. It made her sick; she wanted to gag at it.

He really thought she was beneath him. It was…

Hinata slowly looked up at him, a small smirk on her lips and an amused glint in her lavender orbs.

"Crystal.", she answered, making his glare harden.

* * *

**13,719 words for this chapter. This is the longest chapter I've ever written... I know...it has many typos and errors in it that I have to fix! I'll do it in the morning!**

**I'm so proud of myself! ^_^ You all deserve it. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. It was really, really hard writing, and I had lost alot of inspiration during some scenes and found myself looking at pictures about love and also listening to tons of music to get back in the mode. If you're an author, you know what I'm talking about! **

**Because of **Rukianbu93**'s and **coffeeshot**'s review and her explanation, I am happy to say that from now on, starting next chapter, FAQs will be a permanent addition to this fiction. ;) Thanks for you suggestion.**

**Once again, thank you all for your messages, reviews, and continued support for this story. You all are awesome, really. You all inspire me to write and stay focused on what is important. The best thing I ever did was write for myself instead of for others, which has made this fiction turn around and become more special to me. I'm happy that you all enjoy my imagination! Thank you all so much for all that you've done.**

**Be ready for the next chapter! ;)**

**Anyway, thank you all and don't forget to review. It inspires me to write more. **

**God Bless you all.**


	27. Chapter 26: Pep-Talks

**Author's Note:**

Finally! I'M BACK! :) Yes, yes, YES! You all don't know how happy I am to be writing and publishing again - days without writing was like an artist without paint. It was so hard, but I did it! It's 12:00 something a.m. on a school day! I have to get to do this homework before I hit the sack.

Anyway, thank you all for being patient for this chapter. I hope that it's good - I really tried hard. I had lost so much inspiration for this fiction when I started school and I was so upset about it. I thought about it and I prayed about it and the good Lord gave me INSPIRATION! It was like a breath of fresh air and all of a sudden I was writing. It took me about a week to write this. This chapter is about 13,306 words. I hope this brightens someone's day today. Please pardon my spelling errors...

On a final note, I want to tell everyone something that I feel I need to say - follow your dreams. No matter what may come in your way or no matter how many people try to put you down, just believe, and your dream shall come true. I will follow my dreams now...

**Enjoy.**

* * *

_**Chapter 26: Pep-Talks **_

**No. Don't give up hope just yet. It's the last thing to go. When you have lost hope, you have lost everything. And when you think all is lost, when all is dire and bleak, there is always hope." **  
―_ Pittacus Lore, I Am Number Four_

When he stepped from her and started back to his little speech down the row, she couldn't help but roll her lavender eyes at his moving figure. Just what the hell was his problem? Did he like putting her on the spot and embarrassing her? He had humiliated her enough when he publically proclaimed his love to his fiancé – well, **ex**-fiancé. He then practically made it one of his life goals to bring her down and make her fell utterly useless and pathetic in their marriage.

Did he have a grudge against her? Or did he just hate to see her doing something other than catering to his needs? He was just confusing to her; like Sudoku, she didn't know what to do with it next…

Hinata puffed nosily, making Haku look down at her.

"You okay?", asked the tall model beside her. Hinata looked up at her and nodded.

"Y-Yeah.", she answered timidly, a light blush coming onto her face as she stared up at the tall model 'Haku'. Haku smiled back down at her and nodded before turning her head towards the talking Uchiha, her long, ebony hair swinging lightly behind her.

God, was _Haku_ beautiful. Hinata blushed a bright red as she continued to stare at the model. She had never seen anyone so beautiful in her life like Haku; sure Sakura was gorgeous, but Haku took it to another level of beauty. She looked so plain with her dark hair and eyes, yet her facial features made her look so unreal, ethereal almost.

Hinata sighed blissfully as she stared at the woman beside her, her mind becoming fuzzy and her chest becoming hot. If only she was as _half_ as beautiful as Haku…

Yamato coughed a bit into his arm, shattering the awkward atmosphere that had been created by the brooding Uchiha, who was now looking over the Sabaku group, more so at Sasori, who was smirking with mock at Sasuke.

Hinata couldn't bear to watch what would happen down there, so she averted her gaze to the director and tried to put on her 'serious' face.

The director sighed a bit, now a smile on his face. "Now that that's out of the way, we will begin roll call. When I call your name, I will specify exactly which lines you will be modeling for based on your entry forms and conformation from the designers. After you have heard your name and information, please pick a lane and wait until I am finished so that we all can begin practicing. Everyone got that?", Yamato spoke as he scanned the relatively small group over.

Hinata nodded while the rest muttered their understanding, and soon the director nodded and began to call roll.

"Darui – 'Ibisu' , 'Uchiha's **Phoneix'**, and 'Matarashi'."

The Hyuuga watched as a tall, dark-skinned male slid past her and towards one of the five runway lanes. She apprehensively let out a breath as names began to be called, and decided to yank at her long hair, debating on whether it was time to get it cut again; the bang was getting a little longer than she liked.

_Sasuke likes long hair…_ Hinata frowned. _I'll get it cut soon…_

"Sakura – 'Uchiha's Phoneix' and 'Matarashi'.", Yamato called, and looked towards the tall woman. Without kind of recognition of the director, Sakura stepped off the stage and towards the occupied lane, clad in jeans and tall high heels. Hinata couldn't help but gawk at how the woman stepped down the stairs, not even bothering to hold onto the railing beside her for support.

She could already tell; Sakura was one of the _best_.

Hinata gulped in intimidation. How could she compete with _that_? The girl slumped sluggishly, her mind in deep thought as of how to walk in heels on a runway that _barely_ had enough room for three people and try not to fall flat on her face in front of hundreds or thousands OR millions of people…

And people said modeling was a piece of cake…

The bluette curiously watched as the woman sat down; she wondered if she had covered the bruises or not…

"Hinata – 'Ibisu', 'Flower Petals', 'Matarashi', 'Blanco', and 'Myoko'.", the director called, and soon mutters came up within the small group, making the Hinata blush from the attention.

She didn't know she had signed up for that many; she would be walking all night on the runway tomorrow. So it was guaranteed that she would fall once or twice. _Damn…_

With a nod towards Yamato, she started towards an empty lane and slowly sat down on the edge of the runway, her feet dangling off a bit.

Hinata wearily rubbed her eyes, trying to knock the sleepiness that was creeping up on her, and pulled out her phone. She was curious as to what the texts held; Sasuke barely texted her at all anyway.

She numbly ran her thumb across the message icon before tapping it. What if they were threatening messages? Should she tell someone, maybe Ino? She didn't respond to threats well; she would want to file a restraining order immediately.

What if he wanted her back? The Hyuuga raised her eyes towards Sasuke; he was speaking to a few women on one of the lanes, a small smirk on his lips as he eyed the one with the dark-red hair. She was drop-dead gorgeous, just like all of his mistresses had been.

Her heart dropped for the second time that day when she saw him and the model walk towards another portion of the lane to get some 'privacy'. Judging from how the woman was blushing like a school girl, the mighty Sasuke was _flirting_ with her.

Hinata rolled her eyes and moved her bang out of her view.

_And I fell in love with that? What an insensitive douche bag. _She was determined on avoiding him more than ever at this point.

Her lavender orbs slid over to Sakura to see her reaction and what she saw made her anger disperse into pure astonishment.

Sakura watched with saddened eyes as Sasuke tucked a strand of hair behind the model's ear. Hinata warily observed before turning back to the phone in her hand, not noticing the glance Sasuke threw her.

Why didn't he acknowledge others' feelings? It was like Sakura was nothing to him, like she was just another woman he'd slept with. From what Hinata had heard from the store incident yesterday, he and Sakura were together since the marriage had occurred, meaning that he had been in a relationship with the pinkette from day one, exactly two years, just like Hinata had been. The only difference was that Sakura obviously got more privileges; she got the gifts, the love, the affection, the _sex_ –

But in the end, what did Hinata gain? A _one-sided,_ **fake** marriage, lies, empty-promises, and a low-self-esteem from the one person she trusted with her heart. Sasuke Uchiha.

But maybe it was her fault for being so trusting; she felt that she would never be able to trust anyone ever again, and it hurt to know this because she knew that there were other people that _deserved_ her trust so much more than Sasuke did.

Like Ino, Konan, Tenten, _Sasori – _

She wouldn't let them in, because she was afraid of being hurt again.

She made a silent promise to herself the day she threw her wedding ring back to _him_ that she wouldn't be the trustful person she once was; this time would be different.

_She would guard her heart, no matter the circumstances..._

Hinata let the solemn feeling pass through her while she tapped the message icon and watched his name pop up. The first message was seen:

**We need to talk.**

_Received: June 15_

**The locks have been changed. Have Suigetsu let you in.**

_ Received: June 15_

Hinata shook her head in disbelief. So it wasn't their house after all. She decided that she would read them all to get it over with.

**You should be getting the divorce papers soon – when you get them, sign them. Save us both the hassle.**

_ Received: June 12_

**A Hyuuga Advisor came by and dropped off your things from the office. Qi has put them with the rest of your things in our room. Your things will remain in place until you feel the need to get them.**

_Received: June 9_

Hinata snorted.

**Mother wants to see you – she might call you.**

_Received: June 8 _

…

**I'm sorry.**

_Received: June 3_

She blankly stared at the last message, which was the first one she received. She couldn't conjure up what to feel by looking at those letters. The only word that popped into her head was _Guilt. _

So Sasuke _could_ feel, did that change anything that he had done? One simple apology, delivered via text message…

**He was heartless**.

Hinata powered off the phone and slid it in her pocket, not wanting to read anything else. She was tired of him already.

None of his actions made any sense; before any of this ever happened he had never really responded to her much, just the simple 'Good Mornings' and the 'I'll be late coming home' type of talk. Let's not forget the silent 'I Love Yous' he would tell her whenever he wanted something done for him, like the sorting of his paperwork or the heating up of his food.

She had been a tool for him since day one, but she had mistaken it for love.

It made her sick to her stomach almost; she had been one of those fan girls to him all along, or he had treated her like she was one. She had honestly believed that he had _loved_ her.

_God, I was a fool…_ She should have known better.

She wanted to talk to someone about this, but like she had said before, she wasn't going to trust anyone. Who would?

Hinata pursued her lips while looking around, trying to get rid of the thought of him running through her head. She decided to focus on something more important…

She smiled down at her boots; she loved them, a lot. They were unique to her, an alternate personality of her own. It screamed 'rocker' and 'bad girl', which made her laugh at how strong and independent 'boots' were to herself. Weird.

She had heard that in reality, 'pretty' girls didn't become models. The weird ones won most of the time in the modeling industry. Weirdness to most meant 'strange', 'uncool', and even 'stupid', but from just hearing the designers that had given her the forms, weird was strange, but it was also 'unique', 'striking', and 'beautiful'. To be weird was to be 'one of a kind'; not just another pretty face.

Hinata let her eyes slowly look up from her boots to the pinkette sitting on the other runway, her gaze set on her wristband, an unreadable look in her eyes.

Now that Hinata thought about it, Sakura was famous because she was 'weird'. Who in the world had _naturally_ _**pink**_ hair with green eyes? It was like she was the female version of a human 'Sakura' flower; the name fit her. No matter how the bluette looked at it, Sakura was one of the most beautiful women she had ever seen, despite the woman's actions yesterday. That crucial fact hurt the most.

Sakura was beautiful and unique; Sasuke had left her for Sakura, someone who was _unearthly_ gorgeous. To have your husband leave you for someone who you thought to be so much more _prettier_ than you hurt. It made you feel like dirt, like you were nothing. It crushed your self-confidence and made you depressed. It made you question God even…

Hinata let her gaze shift back towards her feet and soon she let out a shuddering breath. "Why do you do this to yourself, Hinata?", she questioned herself in a whisper. "You're b-beautiful, too. She may be pretty, but so are you. G-Get your act together, right now."

"Do you usually talk to yourself?"

Hinata jumped and was about to fall off the stage before a pair of arms caught her by lifting her up by her armpits, which made her blush in embarrassment. She prayed that she didn't sweat when she was nervous. She couldn't even look up at the model as a deep laugh came to her senses.

"Sorry about that. I didn't mean to startle you.", Haku spoke, trying to hold back chuckles to Hinata's surprise. Since when did _girls_ chuckle?

"I-It's okay.", the former-Heiress spoke quickly as Haku came and sat next to her. She started to grow nervous as she felt some of Haku's hair brush against her hands; it was so _soft_.

She blushed and looked back towards Sakura, who was now stretching from her position on the floor.

"You and Sasuke have some major problems going, huh?", Haku asked as she took some gum out of her pocket. "I had never seen him act like that – want some?"

Hinata let out a breath and nodded while grabbing a piece.. " S-Sasuke and I – nothing is wrong.", she muttered as she tried to keep herself from staring into her eyes. She didn't want to think of Sasuke; she was getting sick of hearing about him.

Haku snorted. "I don't know about that.", she stated quietly and turned her gaze to the pinkette in front of them.

They both stared at Sakura, who just quietly sat down on the lane and stared down at it, her long rosy hair covering her face. Hinata idly scratched her nose while trying to push back a few tears she was holding in.

She didn't want to feel sorry for Sakura, but she couldn't help but pity the girl. She hated that she cared for people who _hurt_ her, but that was who she was. She just couldn't be angry all the time; yesterday was a first for her.

Sakura was going through the same thing she had gone through; the public humiliation and seeing the person who you had fallen in love with move on so quickly. Even though the pinkette kind of deserved it, Hinata questioned whether or not she could handle it in a proper way without doing something regrettable. It was like Karma coming back; this was Sakura's Karma. She would feel the same way the bluette had felt and would only have to take it because this was her fate.

Hinata sighed. Any normal person wouldn't care about their husband's mistress…

A loud chatter sounded on the stage, making the Hyuuga and Haku turn to see the source of it. It sounded like they were talking about her; Haku was mentioned a few times in the talk, but the negativity was focused on the bluette.

Hinata blinked a little. _Why would they be upset with me siting with Haku?_

The three girls rudely gossiping on stage were getting annoying, so annoying that Hinata whipped her head back around and gave them a pointed glare.

They all stopped and froze when they saw her staring at them, and soon casually waved over to her, a smile on their faces. The bluette looked them over a bit before raising an eyebrow and turning back around towards Sakura.

Haku rubbed her hands on her pants while looking at Hinata. "Don't worry about them; they're just intimidated by you. You are going to be the only girl walking that is going to be represented as an icon of 'sex'."

Hinata paled when she heard that. "W-What does that mean?"…Anything that has 'sex' in it made her stomach queasy.

Haku sighed before turning towards the bluette and grabbing her shoulder. "Most of the designers today didn't just go for the pretty models; they went for the ones who were popular among the media. Having someone like you modeling their clothes would increase their sales. Your body is going to increase their popularity among the public."

Hinata let it sink in for a minute, her mind wandering. "I-I still don't get it.", she finally said, which made Haku chuckle again, to her amazement, and pat her on the back.

"Okay, let me see…", Haku's brown eyes scanned around for a while before it stopped on a particular Uchiha. "Look at Sasuke for a minute."

"Why?", Hinata dully asked, but complied anyway and looked towards the tall male, who was talking to a group from 'Blanco'. She wanted to turn away to stop previous thoughts from clouding her head, but Haku threw an arm around her neck and leaned in towards her, which made her stay still.

"You see that shirt he's wearing?",Haku asked. Hinata nodded; there was only a few men that could wear red and not look overly vivid in it. One of them was Sasuke. "You see how good he looks in that shirt. Sexy, isn't he?" She would never admit that though.

Hinata blushed a bit in embarrassment at the question, noting how good Sasuke really did look in that shirt. "I-It's okay.", she muttered as she watched Sasuke turn and walk towards the next group, the red-haired woman from before close behind him. _Now_ he was overly vivid.

Haku smirked, her brown eyes glinting. "Would you buy that shirt?", she asked. Hinata started run her finger over her lips while musing over the question.

Would she buy it?

She squinted her lavender orbs in thought as she stared at the Uchiha's shirt, unaware that his crimson gaze was now on her.

The shirt looked nice; 'Ed Hardy' was a beautiful and artistic style of clothing, but if she had a choice to buy it, she would decline. Only because the shirt looked expensive and she didn't have any money right now.

She shyly looked at the model beside her and blushed again at the close contact. "It looks…p-pricey. I probably c-couldn't fit it in my budget." Once again, a round of chuckles came from Haku.

"You're too funny – okay, if you had all the money in the world, would you buy the shirt?", Haku rephrased the question.

Hinata 'hned' and went back to the red shirt, still unaware of the unreadable look Sasuke was giving her. "Y-Yes.", she finally said, a small smile on her face when Haku nodded and patted her back again.

"Why would you buy the shirt?", Haku asked another question, her eyes sliding to the Uchiha.

The former-Hyuuga gave him her an odd look. "Because i-it's…pretty?"

"And?"

Hinata gave Haku another strange look. "And because…I like 'Ed Hardy'?"

…

The model sighed. "Okay, Sasuke was a bad example - What is your best friend's favorite celebrity?"

"Inuyasha.", the bluette answered immediately while taking her eyes off of Sasuke's shirt."

Haku nodded. "Imagine Inuyasha in that same shirt. Would your friend and many others buy this shirt?"

Hinata nodded as well. "Yes, s-she would."

"Why?", the Haku asked with a smirk as she leaned further into Hinata.

The former- Heiress thought for a moment. "Because he's her idol and many others…may think he looks good in the shirt?", Hinata said and soon her eyes widened. "W-Wait, so by using celebrities to model the clothing, sales increase? So publicity m-matters as well?"

Haku's smirk turned into a smile as she flipped some hair over her shoulder.. "Exactly. Your fans are going to buy everything that you wear tomorrow night. It's kind of like you're sponsoring these designers in a way, really. But I guess it's all good since fifty percent is going to the families affected in the bombing.", she stated. "If you're popular, then your clothes will sale. If not, then they won't sale. That's just how it is.

"Oh.", Hinata dully responded, her eyes getting cloudy as she thought about that night.

It was hard to think that she could have died that night, both her and many others. She had been clouded with so many emotions that she had forgotten that many families were hurt by the bomb, both inside the hotel as well as many people outside of it that night. So many were grieving their loved ones while some were praying for the remaining victims to survive surgery; many couldn't even afford surgery…

An overwhelming amount of guilt hit her. She had thought her life was bad while many others were fighting for theirs.

_That's why I have to try._, she thought as she clenched her fists on her jeans. _I can't give up on them. They need the funds for their families…_

They were her drive; they pushed her to _try_. Yes, she would be nervous, and yes, she would mess up.

But she wouldn't give up.

"Nice dog-tag. That must've been really expensive, eh?", Haku asked as she pulled the chain from Hinata's blouse and examined it, long fingers running across the gold-in scripted letters on the sterling silver chain. "Kukla? That's really cute. It fits you.", she smiled and let go of the chain, letting it go back to its original position on the Hyuuga's chest.

_Kukla?_ Hinata grabbed the tag and held it up, letting the gold letters shine and contrast with the tag itself. The letters were in Russian, a language that the bluette didn't know, but had seen a few times on paperwork her father had done. Kukla fit her well?

What did it mean?

Yamato came back onto the center of the stage soon."Okay, now that that's out of the way, everyone find you a partner – male and female!", Yamato yelled to all of the models on the stage and lanes. "I want passion, chemistry! You may not know each other, but I want to see that attraction! Lust, love, this is what it's all about! Connect with you partner as you walk; make it seem believable!", he yelled to the scurrying people as they got into position on the many lanes.

Hinata nervously slipped the chain back into her shirt and stood up, anxiously trying to find a male who was available.. It was like trying to find a partner for a project in High School; you would feel left out and embarrassed when everyone got their partner. She felt a sadness come over her when she saw male models rush over to Sakura, who only offered them a small smile.

The bluette sighed was about to walk back to the stage, but felt a hand on her shoulder.

She looked up at Haku who smiled down at her. "Y-Yes?"

"You mind being my partner?", Haku asked, that smile still on her face.

Hinata smiled although she was feeling insecure inside. "I would l-love to, but Yamato-san said only a girl to a boy– "

Haku cut her off with a surprised smile. "Wait – I already know what you're going to say. I forgot that this is the first time you've met me.", she said, that smile still on her face.

Hinata tilted her head. "Huh?"

She chuckled. "Hinata-san, I'm a guy."

…

The bluette rubbed her ear and stared at the 'man'…

Haku laughed awkwardly. "I thought you knew. It's okay though – many others have had the same reaction and just thought that because I looked feminine that I was a female. It used to happen all of the time but…people know now…except you of course…", _he_ finished off as he watched Hinata's mouth open in awe.

The Hyuuga analyzed the man's face for a quick second before snapping her eyes to his chest. The shirt was flat, but she still had doubts. Maybe she was joking; a lot of people had a weird sense of humor, like herself.

Haku looked down at his shirt before looking back towards Hinata. "Oh, you're still not sure…well…do you want a hug?"

Hinata quickly nodded, trying to hurriedly rid herself of her doubts of him being a male. She awkwardly opened her arms and gave off a nervous laugh as she walked towards him and hugged him.

She paled when she laid her head on his chest and didn't feel any cushion. With determination to prove her point, she snuggled deeper and started to rub her face into his chest. Still nothing – What she felt instead was a broad chest. She sniffed his cologne and sighed before stepping back and bowing her head.

This ethereally beautiful woman was a _man_?! He was prettier than Sakura…

"I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to – ", she started, but Haku waved it off with a nervous laugh.

"It's okay, but if you really want to apologize, be my partner for the show.", Haku stated as he sheepishly scratched the back of his head.

Hinata, still in regret, nodded and started back towards center stage with Haku, a blush on her face from the awkward tension in the air.

Still, she couldn't help but look back and stare at Sakura.

_God…_

She felt her heart restrict when she saw a stray tear fall from her dull, emerald orb…

Without a second thought, the bluette spared her a glance for a moment before slowly turning her head forward, leaving the pinkette to battle with her inner demons…

Which would soon devour her – mind and body…

* * *

_Why the hell is she here?_, is what Sasuke asked himself each and every time he looked her way; this was the fifth time he'd asked himself this, but he yet to find his answer.

She was a distraction and, to him, a total _nuisance_ to the show he was trying to create. Why couldn't she just stay put? Why did she put these thoughts and feelings into his head? She was making him confused.

He hated being confused. Sasuke had brought together and asked fashion companies to join him in raising money for the families affected by the bombing. Yes, he knew that some of the people that he disliked (hint hint – Itachi) may be there, but he was willing to hold it in until after the show.

Now, he wasn't so sure about holding it in and there was a reason why.

If Hinata was here, that meant that she was a part of a _fashion_ company – meaning that what he had heard about that Hyuuga attending the meeting of his nemesis may have been true – and that also meant that that Hyuuga could, possibly, be a part of _Sabaku_ already.

"_There's a rumor going around that Sabaku and Akatsuki are going to launch a line so popular that they'll even have Milan calling for orders." _Sakura's words popped into his head then, and he couldn't help the glower expression that came onto his face, or how the pen he was holding in his hand snapped in two.

_Gaara…_

The Uchiha let the pen fall from his hands and wiped the messy ink onto the side of his black pants.

Just the thought of her working with him made the Uchiha's anger seethe to another level.

He just wanted to hit something, anything…

Suigetsu suddenly showed up, sweat dripping from his forehead as he sighed tiredly and took a sip of drink. He held up the large Subway bag, holding a sandwich and cookies inside. "Turkey sandwich with no _turkey_, no mayo, no lettuce, _extra_ tomato and vinegar _with_ the top layer of the sandwich cut off and set to the side with three chocolate-chip cookies.", the personal assistant called out from the receipt attached to his shirt, an exhausted look on his face. "My question is, wouldn't it be a tomato sandwich instead of a turkey sandwich? There's no turkey on it whatsoever, which confuses me as to why you wanted a _turkey_ sandwich, but _without_ turkey?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at Suigetsu and stared at the cup in his hands. "What kind of drink is that?"

Suigetsu sipped it again. "Sprite."

"Your zipper is open."

Suigetsu looked down at his pants. "Really? Not aga – "

Sasuke knocked the cup out of his hands, making it fall to the ground and splatter around the two. He looked at the personal assistant's mortified look for a moment before snatching the bag of food out of his hands. "My bad.", he stated with obvious sarcasm as he stepped over the mess, leaving the poor man to glare at him from behind.

Now that that was out of the way, he could think clearly.

With a scratch to his dark hair, the Uchiha went towards the end of the stage and jumped off, starting his walk toward his blond companion.

He hadn't heard from the loud-mouth all day; a day without the blonde's blabbering was, in some sense, a bad omen for Sasuke. _He (Sasuke)_ was supposed to be the silent one.

Naruto was throwing off the neutral balance in their friendship.

He soon reached the young man, who leaning back in his seat, eyes closed and earplugs in his ears.

Sasuke stopped and glared openly at him, annoyed at not being noticed yet. "Dode."

Naruto peeked open – Sasuke still stood there, the glare still in his eyes…

The Uzumaki sighed and pulled out the plugs, his gaze going to the bag in the Uchiha's hands. "I'm hungry…"

Sasuke threw him the bag before taking the empty seat next to him as well. Soon, silence appeared, cloaking the thoughts and feelings weaving into the space between them.

After five minutes of the silence, Sasuke glanced over at Naruto – the blond silently picked at the wrapper on the sandwich, an unreadable look in his dull, blue eyes.

There was something wrong.

Sasuke looked over at him, still silent and emotionless. He knew that there wasn't anything he could do for the blond until he told him what was wrong.

They had been friends since the first saw each other in kindergarten; it was like fate had brought them towards one another. They were different, the perfect example of Ying and Yang, the darkness and the light –

They introduced each other to their world, not afraid to confess neither their secrets nor their past. It was rare to find someone who had the potential to be your other half in life…

They were brothers –Naruto was more brother to Sasuke than his _own_ brother, Itachi. That's just how things were –

So when there was something bothering the other, they would try to be there for one another. Like now.

Naruto let out a deep breath and leaned his elbows against his thigh, the sandwich still in his hands, still wrapped up in the colorful décor.

"I thought you said you were hungry.", Sasuke stated solemnly as he stared at the man.

Naruto shrugged. "I thought I was – here.", he offered back the sandwich, his gaze still straight-forward.

"Keep it.", the Uchiha stated and leaned forward right next to him.

He knew that the blond would come out soon, around this time he always had anyway –

"Today just isn't my day, teme.", the unusually quiet man spoke, his voice low and raspy.

"I can see that.", Sasuke muttered quietly, watching as a worker ran by, a box of light bulbs in his hands.

Naruto glanced over at him slowly before looking back at the stage. "I've just been thinking about my life…"

"And?", the dark-haired male questioned.

"Paris…"

"Hn…"

Silence came over them once again as the thoughts from that fatal night plagued their minds, stained with the devastation and the heavy-burdened guilt that it brought…

"She pushed me out of the way."

Sasuke looked back over at him, confusion in his eyes. "What do you mean?"

Naruto looked him in the eye them, his blue eyes now a dark indigo, no traces of light in them. "The chandelier – it was above my head. When the bomb went off…it started to shake above me – I saw it shaking, yet I couldn't move. It was so huge…I knew that I was gonna die, teme – no one could live after getting crushed by that thing.

"I thought I was I going to die, but she – Mama, pushed me out of the way…", Naruto shook his head a little, an unreadable look on his face. "She saved my life – she actually thought that my life was more precious than her own."

"Do you wish she hadn't saved you?", Sasuke suddenly asked.

"I don't deserve to be saved."

"Don't you think that's being a little harsh on yourself, dobe?"

Naruto shrugged. "It's the truth – I don't deserve to be saved, teme, because I've done some horrible things in my life!"

Sasuke leaned back a little at the outburst, but stayed quiet, letting his best friend vent out his feelings.

The Uzumaki stood up, his face turning into a frown as he glared . "I've hurt people teme! I've done drugs, played with girls feelings, stole a-and cheated! I lied to my mother and my father about who I really am! They think that I'm their precious son who could do no wrong, but I'm none of that! I'm not responsible, and I'm not smart! My mother saved me – a bad guy!", he yelled, ignoring the looks he was getting from people on the stage.

Sasuke smirked a little and leaned back.

Naruto continued his rant. "I tried thinking of a reason as to why I'm here, living – but I haven't came up with anything. I don't remember helping anyone, bringing joy to a life since I've been here! I've only brought misery and sadness the person who cared about me – probably freaking loved me for God's sake!"

Sasuke furrowed his brow a little; the conversation was taking turns. _Who's he talking about?_

"I didn't know about her feelings for me – not until today anyway! She finally confessed how she used to feel about me, now I can't stop thinking about her and her _hurt_! I feel so bad and stupid, because now that I know how she _felt_ about me, I can finally see her fully – and you know what teme? She's the most caring person I've ever met, but she doesn't want to even see me, teme! She hates me! She doesn't want any kind of contact with me unless it is about my mother, who she is _caring_ for! She's the nicest most selfless person, teme! And I hurt her, all because of a stupid choice that I made! I should have never did that to her – I left her when she needed someone the most!"

"She sounds dreamy.", Sasuke said as he reached for the sandwich. "Who is she?"

Naruto's frown suddenly dropped, replaced with a look of shame as he stared at the Uchiha.

Sasuke unwrapped the food and looked up, his obsidian eyes innocuously peering at the blond with a bit of curiosity. "Well?"

The blond laid a hand on his lips, as if the words he had confessed were forbidden. Before Sasuke could question him again, Naruto quickly walked away, his face flushed.

Sasuke watched after him until he exited out the back door, and shrugged before biting into his sandwich…

And spitting it back out altogether while having a slight coughing fit. He looked down at the red mess on the wrapper.

"Red peppers. Damn you, Suigetsu.", he muttered, his coughing still consistent due to the fiery mess that was stuck in his mouth.

Worried looks were being thrown his way, especially from the women near. Sasuke quickly looked around, trying to calm down and look for something, anything to drink –

"Sasuke-kun, are you okay?! You're as red as your shirt!", a screechy voice exclaimed, making the burning Uchiha look up and meet with ruby orbs, covered with glasses.

_Just my fucking luck… _He had been trying to avoid her all day.

His eyes then lowered to the drink in her hand. _Taco Bell? _ Sasuke looked up at her, a look of disgust crossing his face. He didn't just drink after people…

Karin gave him a smile and offered him the drink. "Want some? It's coke – you like coke don't you?!"

Sasuke gave off a weak smile to the woman, trying to cover up his disgust. "Yeah." Just as he was about to take the cup from her, it was taken out of his reach, which made him looked back up at her.

"What's my name, again?", she asked innocently as she held the cup up above her head, a smile on her face…

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Seriously? I'm dying.", he deadpanned.

"I'm waiting! You only get three chances!", Karin spoke.

The fiery flame in his mouth was diminishing slowly, but he still needed something to get rid of the taste.

He tilted his head a bit as he looked at her smiling, hopeful face. "…Kirin."

She shook her head.

"…Karmen…"

Karin gasped a little. "You're so close, Sasuke-kun – just think about it for a minute!"

Sasuke stared hard at her as he tried to remember…the name then popped into his head.

"Kir…men?", Sasuke said, his face expressionless as he watched Karin's smile drop and turn into disbelief.

She shook her head. "T-That's not right, Sasuke-kun."

The Uchiha looked around a minute before he settled in on her face. "Is it the other way around? Menkir, because that would…make more sense…"

Karin pouted sadly at him and turned away, making her way to the back door, her drink in her hand.

Sasuke watched her walk away while contemplating on whether to run after her or not - she was the daughter of a famous business tycoon in France after all. He had found that out after he told Suigetsu to throw her out; it's good that she didn't find anything suspicious when he asked her to come with him here…

"She'll get over it.", Sasuke muttered, and cleaned his mess up before shoving it in a male model's arms, who was passing by. "Throw that away – and while you're at it, throw away that ridiculous bandana. It's hideous.", he snatched off the furry cloth and threw it in the male's pile, ignoring the glare he got from him.

These rookies would be the death of fashion…

Sasuke stuffed his hands into his pockets and looked up at the models on the stage, his gaze stopping on the woman, or _girl_, of his problems…

He snarled when he saw her blush at something Haku, a former-nemesis of the Uchiha, had said.

His mind then went to the hickey that he had saw on her neck that night…

He glared harder at her.

She hadn't told him who had given her that hickey. At the ball, he was just trying to make her upset – he had known she knew nothing of sex and that she would _never_ cheat on him…

But that hickey told a different story. What if she really did sleep with someone from the Akatsuki? Sure she had told him that she didn't sleep with anyone, but any normal person would think otherwise if they saw that that person had such a mark on such an intimate place. She didn't even try to make up an excuse – she had basically said what it was -

_That's none of your business, Sasuke! I didn't ask you were you got your hickeys and lip-stick markings from during our marriage did I!_ – those words were killing him.

Who could it have been? A dark thought crossed through his head as he started to try and piece some things together.

_Gaara…_What if he had given it to her? It made sense – Sasori was his cousin; he wouldn't have any relations to someone who wasn't dealing with Gaara.

What if she was a part of Sabaku?

He needed to find out.

Sasuke let his obsidian eyes glance around for a moment before they spotted their target – Yamato. The director was busy looking at a clipboard and subconsciously looked up to see Sasuke staring at him, a small smirk on his face.

The director paled and quickly looked back down at the clipboard, not wanting to be the next target of the Uchiha's 'bullying'. Too bad he didn't have a choice.

Sasuke let a small grin come onto his lips as he walked across the stage towards Yamato, his walk devious, almost demonic. Strangely seductive.

…

A co-director suddenly stopped his scolding and stared at the Uchiha, admiration in his eyes. He then snapped a harsh gave at the men models, who were also staring at the Uchiha. "Take notes, you imbeciles! That is what I call a walk!"

…

Yamato gulped nervously and turned his back, covering up the clipboard from the Uchiha's view.

Sasuke casually laid a hand on the man's shoulder, making the director shudder from the dark aura coming around him. "Y-Yes, sir?"

The Uchiha smirked. "How's everything going?"

Yamato carefully moved away from the man, making the hand slid off his shoulder. "Everything is fine – everyone is paired up and ready to go. All we have to do now is get some of the girls some proper shoes."

Sasuke nodded, satisfied with the answer, and looked over at the clipboard in the man's hands. "Everyone in order?", he asked curiously, his dark eyes pooling into red.

He _really_ wanted to see that list…

Yamato sighed. "Sasuke-san, if this is about Hinata-san, all you need to know is that she is to be treated like a model, not your wi – GIVE THAT BACK!", he screeched as the Uchiha snatched the clipboard from him and scanned over the names. "Sasuke!"

Sasuke pushed the director back as his red eyes skipped over the first names to the 'H''s. "Hold on – I'm almost done.", he bit out and continued to tousle with the man until he saw what he was looking for.

_Hinata Hyuuga- Uchiha : __**Unknown**_

**I**bisu

_Flower Petals_

Matarashi

**Blanco**

Myoko

…

Sasuke scoffed and shoved the clipboard back into Yamato's hands. "Her workplace is _unknown_? She can't model if she doesn't have a company that is representing her.", he stated, his eyes narrowed as he stared at Yamato, who was currently brushing out the wrinkles that the Uchiha had created in his rant.

The director sighed before giving Sasuke a mild glare. "A company _is_ representing her – she requested on her form that we not release information concerning her career or workplace, since she is just doing this for charity – "

The Uchiha cut him off with a dark look. "That information is a must. She cannot model without us knowing that she is legit.", his voice was laced with malice, yet his voice came out smooth.

Yamata snorted with dull eyes. "Really?", he asked with a mysterious tone, which made Sasuke second guess himself. "Hm, interesting notion.", the director said and started to walk away, but the Uchiha grabbed him by his shirt.

Sasuke glared. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean, _Yamato_? Is there something you aren't telling me?", he spat.

Yamato sighed and turned around to face the seething man, a blank look on his face. "It appears to me that you aren't as smart as people say you are."

The Uchiha eyes intensified. "What did you say to me?"

The director shook his head in disbelief of the situation before turning back to the young man in front of him. "Sasuke-san, you are completely right about all of our models needing their companies to confirm for actually being legit – Hinata, however, doesn't need any conformation whatsoever."

"Why the hell not?", Sasuke shot back.

"Because she's Hinata Hyuuga-_Uchiha_, she doesn't need to clarify that. She can practically run this show if she wanted to! The only problem is that she doesn't know that she can!", he stepped closer to the shocked male. "You need to lose that bad attitude of yours before you end up losing all that you have to someone who doesn't even know they have power. Get it together, Sasuke-san." With that, Yamato stepped past him towards the crowd of models, leaving Sasuke to stare after him, his face still twisted in a shock-filled expression.

His eyes then went to the bluette, who was shyly standing next to her partner, but there was something different about her that made Sasuke slightly nervous…

Determination was marred into her eyes.

His eye twitched. _She doesn't know how much power she has…_

She could destroy him – he found it _very_ hard to believe it.

Sasuke scoffed. "As if she could ever have more power than me – she's nothing.", he muttered, trying to convince himself.

But in the back of his mind, a little voice was panicking.

_She's not stronger than me and she never will be. She's weak – I run her. She's mine…_

He sighed irritably and took out his phone before punching in a number.

_She'll be nothing more than mine…_

For a slight moment, his eyes went back to her; as she was looking forward, the tall model beside her was staring at her, his cheeks blushing red.

_When the divorce is final on Monday, it will be a no-holds barrier… _Those words taunted him.

And for only a slight moment, his eyes went up and met with emerald green orbs, orbs that were filled with hurt, apology, and plead for him. He let their eyes connect before he broke the eye-contact and turned away, hearing the lawyer's voice come through the phone.

"_What?"_

Sasuke looked back over at Hinata, his red eyes swirling. "Have you talked to Ino yet?"

* * *

"Give me the first five pairs – get in order!", Yamato yelled and stepped back, letting the models get in their position. When the music starts I want to see legs moving – this has to be perfect! This is our intro – I want to see emotion!"

Hinata looked down at her paper, which had the directions of when she would come out on each line. Right now, the director was directing models, and Hinata was nervous as to why slow, seductive music was being played quietly in the background…

"Do you want to go on and try first? So that we can get it over with?", Haku asked as _he _leaned down towards her to get her answer; Hinata blushed from the close contact and stepped back a bit to look up at the 6'2 male.

She looked out at the long lane for a moment before letting out a shaky breath. "Y-Yeah, sure.", soon answered, and folded the paper in her pocket and walked toward the lane with Haku.

Each step she took towards the lane, her stomach got heavier and her heart beat faster. So many thoughts went through her head a once, but only one was clear:

She was afraid of falling.

Would they laugh at her? What if she wasn't cut out for this kind of job? She had never been the one to stand out and shine in her life; what if she just made herself look stupid?

Soon the pair stopped, which allowed Hinata to look up at length of the runway…

This fashion show would definitely be the one that no one has ever seen before…*****

It was safe to say that Hinata would be cautious of where she walked, the only problem would be that, for some _odd_ reason, she was afraid of heights now.

"Oh G-God…", she muttered under her breath and lightly stepped forward…

The music suddenly got louder, and the fast-paced song became clearer. It was a…nice song. Very catchy..

Hinata started to pat her hand against her thigh to the beat and looked up at Haku. "W-Why is the music fast?", she asked as her foot started to tap.

Haku gave her a strange look and smiled, which made her blush. "I'm guessing to make it difficult?", he shrugged and faced forward.

The bluette stiffened at that, and quickly looked up at him to speak, but was cut off by Yamato when he yelled out orders.

"You all have five minutes to practice – after that, you will be evaluated!", with that, he left and headed towards a back door.

Worried mumbles and nervous squealing erupted in the room, making Hinata get more anxious than before. The room suddenly became crowded and loud as models scurried around, trying to get in place behind others, some shedding a few tears due to their bad nerves, because they all knew that once Sasuke Uchiha sat down in the audiences' seat that he would tear them limb from limb.

Some of the models here were new, some old, but they were all treated the same. Like objects that the Uchiha could throw away. This was some of the models' big break; this show could either make them or break them in the fashion world.

_I'm beginning to feel sick…_ Hinata held her stomach in pain of the gurgling and the churning it was doing; she was so nervous that it was making her _sick_.

_"Den Teufel nicht an die Wand malen."_, popped into her head suddenly. _'Don't assume something will go wrong when it isn't guaranteed'_

Her eyes widened.

It wasn't guaranteed that she would mess it; it was all a matter of what the mind thought. If she thought she would mess up, then she _would_. But if she believed…

"Things could turn out okay…", she finished, and soon her anxiety stilled and was replaced with resolve.

She would try and she wouldn't give up, like she had said before.

So she didn't flinch when Yamato called out that time was up, or when the runway lights lite up and the slow music started to play…

Or when the devil himself came and set before the stage, his eyes settled on her.

For once, they were obsidian, and for once, she could read them.

Black: Sensuous. Secretive. Mysterious.

That was all she could pull from him once he sat down in his seat and propped his leg up on the seat in front of him.

She sighed and looked down at her boots; her laces weren't tied up. With another sigh coming from her lips, she bent over and quickly tied it up before standing up and looking back down at the Uchiha.

"E-Excuse me, Hinata-san!", she heard Haku squeak, and before she could turn and look at him, he was gone.

She looked on after the tall male as he opened the back door leading to the restrooms and slammed it shut, but not before shoving a certain blonde out.

Naruto shook his head out of stupor and hit the door. "Hey man – THAT WAS RUDE! I WAS TRYING TO TAKE A DUMP IN THERE! Sheesh, models these day! 'Think they're so high and mighty just because they look A LITTLE good!"

The music was cut off, and soon Yamato came onto the stage, a light blush on his face as he power-walked towards the confused bluette.

Hinata looked up at the blushing man. "I-Is Haku-san okay?"

"He's, uh, fine", he stuttered, "Just a minor nosebleed – nothing the med team can't fix. You don't have a partner, so we are going to let you walk out after the first two couples have gone."

The bluette furrowed her brow, but nodded. "O-Okay."

Yamato nodded as well, the blush still on his face. He stepped back and was about to walk off the stage, but Hinata suddenly thought of something and grabbed his arm.

"Yes?", he asked, his blush still apparent on his face.

She lightly blushed in embarrassment. "Just w-what am I supposed to do?", her question was undetailed, which made the director give her a strange look.

"Walk?", he said with uncertainty, but stopped when he say her shake her head.

"No – I mean, what am I _supposed_ to do?", she asked once again, putting emphasis on a particular word.

Yamato raised an eyebrow at her question before he realized what she was implying. "Oh. Well…", he scratched the side of his face idly and ran through a mental list in his head. "Make sure to put your hands on your hips when you walk – only at certain points though, and make sure to …look forward, I think? It's been a while since I've directed a runway show before. Forgive me for my loss of commemoration, Hinata-san.", said while giving her a sympathetic look.

Hinata gave him a light smile as she pushed her nerves aside. "N-No, it's okay. Thank you.", she said and turned to walk to the third lane, the middle.

"Finally, we can get something done now…"

The bluette paused in her walk and looked down at Sasuke, who was staring at her in annoyance it seemed.

"Hurry it up, Hyuuga. We don't have all day.", he spat out, his voice bitter.

Hinata _wanted_ to roll her eyes, but instead continued her walk towards her respective lane and stopped, her eyes straightforward. The light that Sasori had talked about was right in front of her, bright and big, bigger than before actually.

Speaking of Sasori..._Where is he?_, she thought, and started to scan for her red-haired companion.

When she looked down to the right, she saw him standing there on the side of the runway, in all of his glory…

Right next to the dark-red haired woman that Sasuke was flirting with earlier.

_So she's his partner…_

The bluette unknowingly narrowed her eyes at the woman before looking down at the audience section…

And there, she also spotted a red-haired woman, this time with glasses, coming to next to the brooding Uchiha, who was openly ignoring her.

"Hinata.", a voice called from behind her. Hinata sighed and turned to face Naruto.

"Y-Yes?"

The blond looked down at the box he was holding and looked back towards the girl. "You're 5'5?", he asked.

Hinata nodded, not really wanting to talk to him, and grabbed the box he was offering her. "W-What's this?", she asked, wary to open the box.

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck nervously as he stared at the ground. "Shoes. You have to be at least 5'10 to walk on the runway, so that you can have an even height with the others. "he whispered carefully.

Hinata gave him a suspicious look as she opened the shoe box and pulled out the tall, black shoes. "T-Thank you.", she answered slowly, her eyes narrowed as she watched him jump off the lane and jog toward the audience section to sit next to Sasuke.

She eyed the heels for a minute and sighed before sitting down on the floor.

A loud, impatient sigh came from in front of her, which once again cause her to pause in removing her boots. She glanced up and saw that it was, once again, Sasuke, acting like a bully again.

"Here we go again…", she heard him mutter and heard a word of agreement from the woman beside him.

She soon decided that she had enough.

Hinata slipped off her first boot and threw it on the other side of the lane. "The _least_ you can do is be _patient_, Sasuke.", she muttered hotly, as she started on the second boot.

"What was that, _Hinata_?"

The room became dead silent when the tension in the room became thick.

The bluette rolled her eyes and started to put on the heels. "I don't like repeating myself.", she said, and threw him a small smile. "It would be a waste of my time, since you don't tend to even listen to what I say…", she buckled the last strap on her shoe and bounded up, careful not to make any fatal turns.

She didn't have to look up to see that Sasuke's eyes were already turning _that_ color.

"Impudence, especially from someone of _your_ caliber, will not be tolerated, Hyuuga.", the Uchiha stated, a smirk coming onto his face and his eyes swirling with an unreadable look.

A murmur started up on the stage.

Hinata didn't know why, but she didn't mind the stares she was getting from the others around because she was _pissed off. _She had never said/thought that before, but this situation was yelling for it.

She looked down over towards her right and caught Sasori's eye for a moment; she let out a breath and closed her eyes.

Apparently she still had some of Itachi's 'energy' because some of her anger that tried to build up vanished. She opened her eyes and nodded towards the Uchiha.

"Yes sir.", she muttered, trying to calm herself.

But , of course, Sasuke was a persistent man at times.

Sasuke sneered and leaned forward with a devious expression on his face. "You seem like the perfect person to make an example out of." , he pulled out his clipboard and his pen soon before looking up at her. "How about you demonstrate the proper way to walk, _Hinata_, since you have so much _sass_ in you today – oh, or maybe you can direct the show in proper order – better yet, why don't you come down here and judge these _professional_ models despite having any experience in modeling at all, since you think that you're so much more better than I am at managing the time.", he spat, his red orbs hard and piercing.

The silent giggles upon the stage came, along with some laughter from the others. To Hinata, it felt like High School all over again…

Hinata stared down at him, her mind becoming cloudy and her eyes becoming glossy.

This wasn't what she had gotten married for. These bitter arguments, this _mock_ – it wasn't what she had wanted at all. He was becoming unbearable and awful each day; he would never change, like she had said before.

She _wanted_ to walk in the fashion show, but was listening to him pick and nag at her worth it? It was called 'bullying' no matter how small it was ; Hinata never responded well to bullying, which was why she was always silent – she tried to avoid it. Being the target was never good; it brought down one's confidence and destroyed their self-esteem.

Instead of dealing with it, Hinata would decide to remove herself from the situation…

She looked back over at Sasori, who was staring at her with his doll-like eyes from the bottom of the runway. "I-I don't want to do this anymore.", she whispered, her voice shuddering from the emotions surging inside of her.

"You sure?", he asked silently, ignoring the look the dark-red-haired woman was throwing him.

Was she sure? Hinata looked down at Sasuke; his smirk was evident on his face. It was one of victory.

The bluette looked away from him and back towards the waiting ginger. "I-I don't want to give up though…", she drawled as she quickly wiped a tear that wanted to fall from her eye.

"Hitomi and the other designers aren't going to be pleased, Hinata. Are you sure about your decision?", he asked once again, patiently waiting for her answer.

Hinata wrung her hands together and started to think, but everything that she wanted to say went blank in her head. She didn't know.

She looked back down at the redhead, not knowing what to say.

Sasori nodded and started his walk back to center stage. Hinata sniffed and turned, ready to leave, but his voice stopped her.

"Why are you leaving?", his voice was so irritating; it was filled with mock and triumph.

She hated it; to let him control her emotions made her feel pathetic and **weak, **two things that she was trying to get rid of about herself…

She'd be damned if she let him get the last word.

Hinata looked back at him, her eyes in a cynical glare. "Because you aren't worth it.", she answered.

…

He watched her walk after the redhead with a glare; her words stung his chest…

His eyes slid over to his right toward the blond beside him. He had expected for Naruto to be looking at him with a reprimanding look…

Instead, the blond was looking at Hinata with an unreadable gaze…

_Who do you think told me about your ridiculous behavior?_ It couldn't have been Naruto…

Right?

Karin rubbed his arm fondly and gave him a light smile. He inwardly sighed and looked up at the remaining models on the stage. "Get in position – "

His phone rang out, disrupting him from his command. He sighed tiredly and answered it.

"What?"

"_I have some news for you."_ , Shikamaru uttered through the phone.

…

Sasuke patiently waited.

* * *

" – I have a doggy named Pin, a bunny named Angel, and a doll named Rapunzel!", the little blonde girl squealed out as she fondly rubbed the tabby's fur, making it purr loudly in the nearly empty room. "Daddy says that I can play with them only in my room though – he says he's alergtic!"

Tenten smiled from her seat across the room as she watched the affectionate display. From hearing the conversation alone, she had picked up the little girl's name ; it was Aira, a beautiful name for a beautiful girl.

Tenji blushed. "I don't have any pets…"

Aira gasped dramatically while squeezing the cat to her chest, making it squeak. "You don't?! That's implausible!", she leaned forward toward the little boy. "You can have Angel! She likes making new friends and boys with pretty hair! – Oh, but I'll have to ask Daddy first!"

They were so cute. And so innocent.

Tenji shyly petted Saon as his a curious look crossed his face. "Don't you have to also ask your Momma? Daddy says that I always have to ask Mommy and him the question."

The little girl stopped her petting and looked up at Tenji. "What's a mommy?"

Tenten's heart dropped when she heard that and so did her smile.

Tenji thought for a moment before a thought came to his head. "A Mommy is a lady that kisses your cheeks, gives you hugs, makes your bed, pushes you on the swing in the park, bakes you all the cookies you want and tell you that you are the most precious kid in the whole wide world!", he exclaimed happily, waving his hands all around.

Aira's widened at every phrase he expressed, her large magenta eyes standing out behind the blonde bang that covered her forehead; she was in awe, like it was the most interesting thing she had ever heard.

Then the words that he had said about this 'mother' donned on her, and the little girl's smile slowly dropped, being replaced with a light pout and sad eyes.

Tenten looked down, not wanting to see the scene before her unfold.

She knew what would come. Those sad eyes would reveal a pain that the little girl had never experienced, like a closet door opening, revealing the demons of the dark…

While she listens to Tenji, she would only be hearing, instead thinking of a time she had a mother, only to find out that in her short life that she could not find that female figure. She would then look at her surroundings, finally seeing that missing piece in her life that her father (Tenten assumed) can't seem to fill. She would see parents, set of two, walking with their child or children. She would see the little girls walking with their mothers, laughing and admiring their parent. She would see the little boys squirming to get away from their kissy-faced mothers…

And she would get a sullen feeling inside, a feeling of sadness and abandonment.

She would then grow up, her curiosity growing each day, wondering just who her mother is or was…

She would want to know the truth.

Tenten lightly bit her lip. Of course she would know this feeling...

_I hope she doesn't become me…_

Because no one would care or understand, no matter how much you wanted them to…

That's just how life was.

"You can share my Mommy if you want to. She's really nice and pretty."

Tenten's brown eyes widened when she heard her son's voice.

Aira was knocked out of her gloomy daze by the boy's decision. "R-Really?", she asked, her eyes as wide as saucers as she stared at him in incredulity.

Tenji rubbed the back of his head idly as he blushed at the girl's look. "Of course – you can be my Imōto!", he cheerfully said, his smile growing wider when he saw her gasp and happily and clap her hands.

The little boy smile was still on his face as he watched her squeal, but it quickly dropped when Aira threw her little arms around his neck. A look of shock passed his face before he turned red…

"You're so nice, Tenji-kun!", Aira squealed while burying her face into his long, brown tresses. "You're the bestest Ani ever!"

Tenji stared down at the girl, still red from before. He then slowly wrapped his little arms around her, shyly returning her hug."…you too, Aira-chan.", he muttered, his blush getting deeper…

_That's how love starts…_ Tenten thought. _And they don't even know it…_

Just like she didn't know…

But now she does…

Why can't love be like this? Innocent and fleeting without a care in the world? Why do we fight more than we love? So many unanswered questions floated around her in that moment.

And suddenly, she became afraid.

She suddenly wondered if their love would ever last? Would he get his heart broken – or would the little girl, Aira, have her heart broken by him? There were so many things that could taint this love that was slowly developing.

Just seeing Tenji grow up scared her; she wanted to protect him, shield him from the dangers of the world – but would he ever learn if he never saw the dangers? Could he handle them? In a way, love was a danger; it could hold you and enclose you in this ball full of warm, fuzz feelings, or it could banish you to the soulless, bottomless pit in your heart…

She sighed and looked down at her phone. 10:30. It was past Tenji's bed time, which meant that _she_ was waiting for them. Tenten let out another sigh.

_Time sure does fly when you're having fun…_

The sound of a door opening and closing caught Tenten's attention, and she looked over at the entrance in time to see Hinata emerge from it, quiet and blank-faced along with that ginger, who was on the phone at the moment, his eyes on Hinata as she walked over to a chair and started to pull off her shoes.

Tenten stood and looked towards the bluette. "How was it? Were you so badass that they had to escort you off the stage?", the brunette joked, but her expression became solemn when Hinata looked at her with misty eyes. "What's wrong?", she quickly asked as she looked between the redhead and Hinata.

The bluette shook her head and gave a shaky smile. "I-It's nothing. Ready to go?", she asked.

"Hinata.", Tenten stated slowly. "What's wrong? Tell me what happened."

Hinata shook her head and ran a hand through her hair. "I need to get my shoes."

"I'll get them.", Sasori said, phone still on his ear, and left back out the door.

Tenten could tell that the girl was distressed; she kept wringing her hands together. "What's wrong? Tell me what happened.", she repeated, worried at how hard Hinata was gripping her hands, as if they were going to run away from her.

She watched the girl sigh and wrap her arms around herself, much like a child, as she leaned forward.

"I can't be around h-him right now – it's too much.", the bluette mumbled, frown coming upon her face. "He keeps picking o-on me – I d-don't know what to do.", she quietly stated, her eyes down casted to the marble floor. Her hair pooled around her face, making her look like a sad child…

The brunette glanced up at the children, who were currently playing with the fat tabby, and slowly sat down in the chair beside the distressed bluette. "You mean Sasuke?", she whispered, lowering her voice so that it wouldn't put the girl in a more distraught state.

Hinata spared her a glance before looking back down at the floor. "I don't k-know what to believe, Tenten. I-I just can't understand him. He isn't the person that I dated in High School…"

Tenten sighed and gave the girl a small smile. "People change, Hinata. No one stays the same after High School..", _I would know…_

The Hyuuga didn't make a sound of acknowledgement; she just slowly looked up at Tenten, a confused gaze in her eyes. She suddenly blinked, as if remembering something, and turned back to her sullen position.******

"Right…", the girl said, but to Tenten, it sounded like she wasn't believing it, like she was detached from the small conversation going on.

"So what are you going to do? Are you going to walk or not?", Tenten asked, determined to get the conversation back on track. And to find a way to get that sad look out of her friend's eyes.

Hinata sat up then, looking like she was also questioning herself as well. "I-I don't know…I just c-can't deal with him – "

"Then don't.", the brunette stated simply while giving her a stern stare. "Why do you do this to yourself, Hinata?"

"What do you mean?", Hinata asked.

"Why do you give up so easily?", Tenten asked. "Just because someone is putting you down doesn't mean that you don't get up – You keep trying. There will always be people who will want to bring you down, it won't just be Sasuke.

"There are going to be models, designers, fans – a lot of people will bring you down, but that doesn't mean that you have to listen to them. Sure, it is good to walk away _sometimes_, but to suck it up and get the job done shows just how strong you are.", the brunette spoke, watching as the bluette stared at her, listening.

She knew that Hinata wasn't strong, and that was why they fit so well together – Tenten was strong while Hinata was weak. But inside, Tenten knew that Hinata was stronger than her.

The Hyuuga's heart was rare; when she cared for someone, she would put in a lot for them, trusting them enough to let them in. Tenten, however, had built a wall throughout her life, shielding herself from getting hurt…

Because of how strong her heart was, the Tenten knew that it was time for the girl to see the real world and its 'dangers'…

Little did she know, Hinata knew a lot of 'dangers'…

Tenten grabbed the girl's shoulders. "I want you to go in there and try, Hinata. I know you don't want to give up. Don't you want to help those families? They need you, Hinata. Think about them and I guarantee you that Sasuke won't even matter."

Hinata's eyes widened, recognition coming through.

Tenten smiled, but inside of her it was bitter-sweet.

Because it was sad how someone that was so beautiful didn't know it, and that that someone would put others above herself.

Hinata didn't seem to do anything for herself – but she would work to help everyone else…

But she didn't know that.

Suddenly, Sasori came back in, the shoes in his hands as he walked to the bluette. He extended the boots out to the girl, a blank look on his face but a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Here you go.", he stated dully, as if uninterested in the shoes. When the bluette took the boots, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and leaned back. "So…you ready to go?"

Hinata gave him a small smile before leaning over toward her feet. "Well…", she started as she grabbed the stray 5'inch heel off the floor and started to slip it on. "I'm a-afraid I'm going to have to say no."

Sasori's smirk widened. "Why the sudden change?", he playfully asked as he mocked a shocked expression.

Tenten smiled when Hinata looked straight over at her.

"I-I just needed a little inspiration is all.", the bluette answered, giving the brunette her biggest smile.

_Thank you._

Tenten then stood up from her chair, brushing off the invisible dust on her butt. "I'm afraid that it's time that I go – Tenji's _way_ past his bedtime.", she stated as she looked over at the boy, who was still chatting with the little girl.

Hinata pouted a little, but nodded in understanding . "O-Okay – me and Sasori can drop you of-"

"No, missy, you're going to stay here.", Tenten cut her off, giving her a reprimanding look. She then looked over at Sasori. "You too, doll-face." Sasori squinted his eyes.

"H-How will you get home?"

The brunette smirked. "I have connections.", she then opened her arms. "Give me some love, Ms. Badass." Hinata pouted at the name, but quickly rushed into the tall woman's arms, giving her a proper goodbye.

Tenten closed her eyes patted her indigo tresses down as she squeezed the girl. "Go out there and show them who's the champ.", she whispered, and felt the girl nod on her chest.

She then opened her eyes and saw Sasori standing from afar, smiling at the scene. Tenten narrowed her eyes at him, causing him to give her a questioning glance…

She stuck out her tongue and flipped him the bird quickly before Hinata let go and stared at her. "Catch you later, Hinata.", she finished.

Hinata nodded happily and backed away before turning around and walking towards the door that lead to the stage, Sasori close behind, but not before he threw Tenten a small smirk…

Tenten rolled her eyes as he stepped out. "Psh, he's nothing like me.", she stated and turned only her heel to get back to the children…

Only to find a rather tall, platinum haired man standing near them, holding on to the little girl's hand.

The blonde girl sadly stared up at the man as she held Tenji's hand. "BUT HE'S MY ANI, DADDY!"

The man shook his head patiently as to avoid the little girl having a temper-tantrum. "No, Aira, Daddy doesn't remember having a flocking son. Daddy is pretty Jam sure that he would know if he - "

"BUT HE'S MY ANI, JAM IT!", Aira yelled, still clutching Tenji's hand. Tenji nervously stared up into the magenta eyes of the platinum-haired _gentleman_…

Tenten sweat-dropped. _Like father, like daughter I guess…_

She decided to enter the situation…

* * *

"I'm glad you changed your mind.", Sasori confessed as they walked back down the steps to the runway, side by side.

Hinata glanced over at him and gave him a smile. "I am, t-too.", she agreed. "I can't j-just let things get to me – I have to help those families. I may not be good, b-but I'll try my best.", she stated, her smile still on her face.

Sasori stared at her with his lidded-eyes. "Deidara called a few minutes ago."

The bluette's eyes lit up as she suddenly stopped. "What did he say? H-How is he?", she asked enthusiastically.

Sasori smirked at the girl's sudden change of attitude. "You're really excited about how _Deidara_ is doing?"

Hinata nodded quickly before waiting. The redhead sighed, but soon spoke.

"He says that his life has taken an…interesting turn for the better…" Hinata smiled widened. "His mother and his real father are engaged – his mother's still sick, but it's gotten better. He says that he and his brother – "

"Tamaki.", Hinata said.

Sasori smiled at her. "Yeah, he and _Tamaki _have been hanging more though. He's says that his brother and he have some qualities alike, but are completely different – He's says that Tamaki somehow classified him as the 'Bad-boy rocker' while he himself is the 'Princely' type.", the redhead said, making a weird face at the 'types'.

Hinata cooed. "T-That's so cute. They've already made names for each other."

"You find such weird things cute, Hinata.", Sasori pointed out, but continued. "In conclusion, he's really…happy. He sounded happy. He talked about the tour he had coming up for his album that will be debuting I think a couple of weeks from now. His single just dropped today."

The bluette gasped. "O-Oh my God, that's great! I want to hear it!", she said with excitement of the situation. She suddenly pulled out her phone -

"Most of the conversation was revolved around you, though."

Hinata paused from her fumbling and slowly looked up at Sasori, a nervous look on her face. "W-What did he say?"

Sasori gave her a half smile as a mischievous glint came in his eyes. "He had a lot to say about you, Hinata, his _petite poupée*******. _"

Hinata gave a furrowed brow. "W-What does that mean? I-Is that French?", she was _not_ good at that language and did not even want to think about it; it made her head hurt. "What does it mean?" ,she asked again.

"He says that when he gets back that he wants to talk to you, one on one.", Sasori replied, finishing the 'Deidara' talk. "Come on, we have to go."

Hinata pouted. "O-Okay.", and they started back on their walk to the stage; a shiny object, however, caught her view. She looked at the dog-tag around her neck before suddenly remembering something.

She looked over at Sasori. "Sasori, what does 'kukla' mean?"

The redhead's posture stiffened. "Where did you get that word from?", he asked, his gaze still forward.

The bluette looked down at the dog-tag before looking back up at him. "H-Haku-san read t-the dog-tag and said that it was 'kulka'. What does it mean?", she asked again, waiting for him to answer.

They both stepped up on the stage and began walking toward the middle, not noticing the obsidian gaze that was following them.

Sasori glanced at her before stopping and facing her. He leaned down closer to her.

"It's Russian for 'doll'.", he soon twirled a piece of her indigo hair, watching as she stared up at him in surprise of the revelation. He then bent down toward her ear and whispered, " 'Guess you're not the only one that is referred to as that, neh?", with that, he stepped from her and gave her a smirk before heading back over to the 'Akatsuki' group with the others, leaving the bluette to stare after him.

"Back so soon, Hyuuga?"

The deep voice brought her from her trance; she took a deep breath, trying to calm down any nerves that started to move, and turned to face her husband, Sasuke…

Who's glare was a reflection of his jealously and of his possessiveness…

And she looked over to see Naruto, staring at her with big, hopeful blue eyes…

Hinata nodded, her face in a small, unsure smile. "Y-Yes, sir. Excuse my previous behavior.", she responded and quickly bowed before hurrying over the pile of models, who were getting directions from a co-director.

Just as she slipped in the group, a hand made its way on her shoulder. She looked up and saw that it was Haku; a blush was evident on his face.

"I'm sorry about - "

Hinata smiled up at him. "D-Don't worry about it - it happens to the best of us."

Haku smiled a bit before scratching the back of his head. "Is it okay if I'm your partner...again?"

"O-Of course.", the bluette answered, and moved over to give him a spot in the circle...

Yamato smiled and nodded in approval at her behavior and looked over at Sasuke. "She's something, isn't she, Sasuke?"

Sasuke scoffed and leaned back into his seat while staring at the indigo-haired girl. Her face was concentrated as she leaned in and listened to the director; each move he made she watched, looking determined to nail the runway her first try…

She had brushed him off…

The Uchiha glared bitterly at her as he stared at her fully and realized something -

She was slowly slipping from his grasps…

* * *

*** - If you would like to see the runway, go to the link on my profile. It was kind of hard describing it..**

**** - Tenten does not know about the things that happened within Hinata's marriage; she only thinks that he cheated on Hinata with Sakura..**

*****- French for 'Little Doll'.**

**OAN: Sasuke is having a complex - can you figure it out? ;)**

**I will admit, that I'm a bit nervous about posting this; I pray that my writing style hasn't changed that much. It's been a long time since I updated.**

**I'm once again sorry for the late update! I've been so busy with school that it's hard to write a chapter every day. I will put FAQs in this chapter when I get back from school tomorrow. I have to go - it's 12:39 a.m. and I have homework to finish! D: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please review, like I said before, it gives me inspiration to push forward. :) - **

_**FAQ**_

_**Sooo..., exactly how many lines are Hinata modeling for?**_

She's modeling for five lines; how it works : She models two outfits or more per line, meaning that after she models two sets of clothing that she will have to transfer to the other designer and get dressed in their clothing. Each designer will have their time on the runway. Ex: Blanco - 9:00 - 9:20 ; Ibisu - 9:25 - 9:45 Like this. Hinata will have enough time to get dressed for all of them ;)

**_What pictures did Sasori and Hinata use for themselves for contact picture? ( I hope the one from Paris)_**

They didn't use any contact pictures because they didn't have enough time to take one - but if you really want to know, Sasori's icon on Hinata's phone is of a puppy while her icon on his phone is of a bunny (they chose these icons themselves) ;)  
**_Is Hiashi crazy?_**

I don't know, is he? ;)  
_** Who does Tenji like more, Sasuke or Sasori?**_

Hmmm...in earlier chapters, you all heard in the 'Paris' arc about Sasuke giving Tenji the picture of Anne Sophie, who was in a rather devastating state. Before any of this happened, Tenji was fond of Sasuke; he thought of him as a 'cool' guy, but after how he saw his mother (Tenten) react, he's getting the picture that hanging out with Sasuke is a no-no. Despite this though, Tenji hasn't really gotten to know Sasori; he only thinks of him as a really nice and funny guy. He likes them both evenly.

But he likes Lee more than both of them.

**_ Will Itachi participate in the fashion show as a model or will he attend as a spectator or a critic?_**

Itachi will participate in the fashion show, but he will be with the people in the background. He isn't much of a showey person unless it is his duty to model. Oh, and a lot of you are wondering why Itachi pulled out of Uchiha Corp; that will be coming up soon. ;)

**_ Will there be a fight between Sasuke and Sasori ? Or any other guy for that matter?_**

I can't say whether or not there will be a fight between Sasuke and Sasori (unless some major trivia and confrontation about a subject comes between them). However, I will say that Sasuke has fought a lot of people; from the 'Paris' arc, you can see how aggressive he can be when someone crosses him wrong. Remember him and our old character Mondine? Chapter 18? Sasuke can get pretty aggressive...

Maybe there will be a fight - I can't just tell you can I? ;)

**_Didn't Naruto pull out of the joint corporation with Sasuke and the others?_**

Yes, he did. This is a charity thing though, so everyone is pitching in to help the families and others affected by the bombing. See how Sabaku, Uchiha, and Akatsuki are working together? Isn't that sweet?

If you all have anymore questions, feel free to message me or put it in a review.

**God Bless you all.**


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